Well Paramount sure is confident inStar Trek Beyond. The thirdTrekfilm in the rebooted franchise that began withJ.J. Abrams’ 2009 film opens in theaters this Friday, but today Paramount and Bad Robot went ahead and announced official plans forStar Trek 4. As we heard on Friday,Chris Hemsworthis now confirmed to co-star alongsideChris Pine, reprising his role as Captain Kirk’s father from the prologue ofStar Trek2009 and continuing Pine’s Daddy Issues arc that’s been the backbone of this rebooted franchise thus far.
The official logline forStar Trek 4is as follows:
In the next installment of the epic space adventure, Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk will cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father.
This is a huge get for the franchise, as Hemsworth’s turn as George Kirk in 2009 came as he was simply a burgeoning actor withCabin in the Woodson his docket. But now, since landing the role of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and proving his comedic chops in films likeVacationandGhostbusters, Hemsworth is a bona fide movie star. So forStar Trek 4, the franchise is getting even more starpower.
WhileSimon PeggandDoug Jungwrote the script forStar Trek Beyond, Paramount saysJ.D. PayneandPatrick McKaywill pen theStar Trek 4script whileJ.J. AbramsandLindsey Weberwill produce through Bad Robot Productions. Payne and McKay were actually the first writers onBeyondwhenRoberto Orciwas directing, but once he left the project, Pegg and Jung came in and did a Page One rewrite, so I’ll be curious to see how the script develops going forward.
The remaining cast is expected to return, sadly this time withoutAnton Yelchinwho passed away recently in a tragic accident.Fast & Furious 6helmerJustin Linstepped in to directStar Trek Beyond, but Paramount has not yet confirmed who will directStar Trek 4. With Abrams once again producing, I wonder if he’ll approach the franchise likeMission: Impossiblegoing forward, bringing in a new filmmaker each time around to put his or her stamp on the series.
Beyond’s early reviews have been widely positive, with many praising itsStar Trek: The Original Seriesvibe, so clearly the studio is feeling bullish about the franchise’s prospects even as CBS ramps up its new TV iteration ofStar Trekto debut in January 2017. But with Hemsworth onboard,Trek 4now has a new wealth of possibilities at its disposal. Will the Enterprise crew be traveling backwards in time? Just Kirk? Or is George Kirk brought into the future? We’ll find out in due time, but for now,Star Trek Beyondopens in theaters on Friday.
