Well it turns out we may not get to seeQuentin Tarantino’sStar Trekmovieafter all. In December 2017, it was revealed that Tarantino had pitchedan original ideafor aStar Trekfilm to producerJ.J. Abrams, and the two were officially developing that idea into a potential movie that Tarantino might direct. They setMark L. Smith(The Revenant) to write a screenplay based on Tarantino’s story while the filmmaker focused on makingOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, and he said he’d circle back around toTrekonceHollywoodwas complete.
Well the circling appears to have happened, and Tarantino has moved on—at least as a director. Speaking to Deadline, the Oscar-winner said it’s now unlikely that he’ll direct theStar Trekmovie, but he still hopes Paramount makes it:
“I think they might make that movie, but I just don’t think I’m going to direct it. It’s a good idea. They should definitely do it and I’ll be happy to come in and give them some notes on the first rough cut.”
Tarantino never revealed what his idea entailed, but this move isn’t surprising. Not only is Tarantino known for developing or discussing many potential movie ideas in public that never come to fruition, but he’s hellbent on retiring after his 10th film—which would be his next movie. And it felt unlikely that he’d go out on a big franchise blockbuster.
Paramount, meanwhile, seems to have other ideas for theTrekfranchise, which they haven’t really been able to successfully explode into the movie marketplace. Abrams directed the well-reviewed 2009 reboot, which pulled in $385 million worldwide, and he also helmed the poorly-reviewed sequelStar Trek Into Darkness, which hit $467 million worldwide. But Paramount was looking to turn this into a billion-dollar-grosser likeStar WarsorFast & Furious, so they tappedFast & FurioushelmerJustin Linfor the third filmStar Trek Beyond. That 2016 movie fell to $343 million worldwide, so it was back to the drawing board for the next outing.
A proper sequel was in the works that would have broughtChris Hemsworthback from the 2009 movie and hadS.J. Clarkson(Jessica Jones) directing, butit fell apartdue to salary disputes with Hemsworth andChris Pine. Most recently, Paramount has tappedLegionandFargocreatorNoah Hawleyto write and direct a newStar Trekmovie, which he suggestsmight have an all-new cast.
If that’s the way forward on the big screen, it’s unlikely Paramount would muddy the waters with an additional film based on Tarantino’s idea—especially if it doesn’t have Tarantino attached as a director. That movie was said to be R-rated, and it’s still possible it could happen in some form or another, but right now it appears that Hawley’s film has the momentum.
On the small screen, however,Trekhas been doing quite well. CBS All Access’sStar Trek: Discoveryis heading into its third season, andPatrick Stewartreturns to the franchise inPicardlater this month. That series has already been renewed for a second season, so the future ofStar Trekin television is looking rather bright.
As for Tarantino, he’s taking the next year and a half to write a book and a play, then he intendsto direct five episodes of theBounty LawTV seriesfromOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodthat he wrote as research, then he’ll get to working on his 10th and final film. On top of that, he’s likely on track to win at least one Oscar next month, so the guy’s got his hands quite full at the moment.
