Based on recent developments, it looks like Star Wars isn’t the only one of Hollywood’s long-running sci-fi franchises that seems to keep getting into creative trouble. That’s because it’s starting to seem as though nobody at Paramount has a clue what’s going on with Star Trek.
Ever since Justin Lin’s Beyond posted some soft numbers at the box office, the big screen future of Star Trek has become clouded in uncertainty, even if the expanded universe seems to be faring pretty well on television. While very few people thought Quentin Tarantino would actually get around to ever directing an R-rated movie, there’s still been plenty of confusion nonetheless.
Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine both signed on for Star Trek 4 before walking away along with original director S.J. Clarkson, and while Pine eventually agreed to return, Legion showrunner Noah Hawley was brought on to develop what was assumed to be the same project, only for the filmmaker to make it sound as though he was working on an entirely new concept. Confused yet?
Even Simon Pegg, who plays a major part in the franchise and co-wrote the last installment, didn’t know if his version of the Enterprise crew would be back at all. The Mission: Impossible star clearly isn’t happy, and we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones that told us a Captain Pike spinoff is in the works well before Strange New Worlds was officially announced, and that a Witcher prequel is in development long before Netflix revealed it – that he’s refusing to return unless he gets a much more substantial role, and presumably a bigger paycheck as well.
According to our intel, Hawley’s movie that was recently placed on hold isn’t the canonical Star Trek 4 but a separate story in a new timeline, meaning the fourth adventure for the Kelvin crew could still be happening in the not-too-distant future. But having been kept in the dark for so long, Pegg is refusing to play ball unless his demands are met.
While they could just go ahead and make the movie without him, he’s also become a key member of the Star Trek team from a creative standpoint, and the majority of his co-stars may also neglect to come back if the whole gang isn’t going to be there. As such, and considering how beloved he is by fans, we imagine Paramount will listen to the actor and give him what he’s asking for.
