Paramount is making yet another attempt at a Star Trek feature film. The studio confirmed the news at CinemaCon 2024. Toby Haynes, who directed episodes of Andor, will direct this newest Trek film, with screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith providing the script. Now, via The Hollywood Reporter, we’ve also learned that Simon Kinberg, writer/director of X-Men: Dark Phoenix is coming on board as a producer. In terms of plot, all we know is that it takes place decades before the events of J.J. Abram’s 2009 Star Trek, technically the eleventh Trek feature overall, which launched a trilogy.
The original report says the new Star Trek film will take place “Likely around modern times.” It will involve the creation of the Starfleet, and “humankind’s first contact with alien life.” Sound familiar? That’s because that’s what Star Trek: First Contact and the TV series Enterprise were about. So most Trek fans find themselves baffled at this news. The plan is for the new Star Trek movie to release in 2025. Abrams’ Bad Robot will remain as producers. A fourth Star Trek film featuring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of that cast remains in the works, too.
The last Star Trek feature film to hit theaters was 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond. Whenever this new Trek movie arrives, it will be the longest gap between Star Trek films since the long-running franchise launched with 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The longest gap until now was between 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis, the fourth and final film in the saga of Captain Picard’s crew, and the 2009 reboot. Although Star Trek has been missing in movie theaters all these years, it has been thriving on streaming television, with series like Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and most recently, Strange New Worlds.
When Will This New Star Trek “Origins” Movie Release?
No word yet on when production is meant to commence on this film, but as mentioned, the film has a release window of 2025. Hopefully, it will fare better than those other announced Star Trek movies that never got off the ground.
Originally published on January 10, 2024.
