While we all wait for Picard to drop tonight – is it as good as we hope? As bad as we hear? – it looks like wheels within wheels are turning in the world of Star Trek on both the big and small screens.
After the whole debacle a while back of Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth standing down from the JJ Abrams’ Kelvin Timeline fourth Star Trek movie, and the tragedy of Anton Yelchin’s death, some doubt was thrown over the (foreseeable) future of Trek at the cinema.
But then it was announced that Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley was to helm the fourth movie in the rebooted movie franchise.
However, star Simon Pegg – who played Scotty in the new continuity – had this to say: “I think Noah Hawley’s been hired to write something for Star Trek, which is very exciting. He’s a brilliant writer and always creates interesting stuff. Whether or not we’re involved with that, I don’t know. I don’t think so and I don’t think Noah’s thing is necessarily going to be Star Trek 4
This was a bit of a surprise, but we thought Pegg may just be being coy, however, now Hawley himself is saying the same thing.
“To call it Star Trek IV is kind of a misnomer. I have my own take on the franchise as a life-long fan,” Hawley says.
So, wait, is this no longer the Kelvin Timeline or, at least, does this mean a new cast? “Yeah, I think so. Yeah,” he replied.
“New characters often involve new cast.”
Hawley also expounded on his vision somewhat, referencing 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, widely considered to be a high point for Trek.
Showing his Trek stripes, Hawley said of his idea: “It’s William Shatner putting on his reading glasses and lowering Khan’s shields, which cost like $9.50. There’s no big action sequence. He’s just more clever.
“There’s something really uplifting about that feeling. I went to Paramount and just had my own ideas for what I wanted to do with it. So that’s the direction that I’m going in. It’s still very early days, so I can’t really be more specific. But it’s going to be different.”
Added to this, there has been a lot of talk recently about Quentin Tarantino’s planned Star Trek movie, but now the writer has said he’s planning on “steering away” from potentially directing and seems to be happy to take a (far) back seat on the project, should it happen.
“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,” he said.
Honestly, I have my doubts this more adult version of Star Trek will ever happen, but if it does, it certainly has my attention. And my coin.
Now, over on the smaller screen, at CBS, home of Discovery and Picard, it seems plans are afoot for more classic Trek adventures.
At the CBS Television Critics Association day head of Original Content Julie McNamara addressed the idea of a Pike (Anson Mount) and Spock (Ethan Peck) series after they won fans over in Discovery Season 2 getting their own series: “We’ve definitely heard fans that people are excited about the notion of that.
“We have heard them loud and clear. We also thought there was incredible chemistry around that bridge crew so among many things that we talk about, that idea is certainly one of them.”
On top of this, it seems the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks and the Michelle Yeoh-led Discovery spin-off are still coming, while producers Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman are also developing two more live-action shows… could one of these be Pike and Spock? We’ll see…
But it’s all warp drives engaged over at CBS and Paramount for the future of Star Trek. Let’s hope the wheels – or nacelles – don’t come off.
Thoughts?
Sources: Collider, Comicbook, /Film and THR
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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