Highlights

  • Star Trek franchise's future remains uncertain as Chris Pine expresses uncertainty about reprising role as Kirk in next film installment.
  • Paramount's delays on Star Trek 4 production worry both fans and stars, with whispers of budget cuts and lack of progress adding to the uncertainty.
  • Despite delays, fans can enjoy Star Trek content on Paramount+ while waiting for any updates on the next film installment's status.

Star Trek fans can expect some more groans ahead as the franchise’s Paramount-era leading man offers yet another uninspiring update as the latest in a series of signs that the highly anticipated follow-up to 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond.

Star Trek has been a staple of small-screen science fiction since its inception with Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966 and has since become a massive multimedia franchise. This included a plethora of feature-length Star Trek films that were met with varying degrees of success over the years, with 2002’s infamous Star Trek: Nemesis being a critical and commercial failure that led to plans for another film to be scrapped, contributing to a hiatus after 20 years of nonstop Star Trek projects. This would end when Star Trek was released in 2009 and would go down as one of the best movie reboots ever by taking fans back to the crew of the original series in an alternate timeline, mixing the established lore with new, refreshing ideas.

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Chris Pine Comments On Stark Trek 4's Production Delay

Hollywood star Chris Pine, a veteran with connections to Quentin Tarantino, was at the head of this Star Trek franchise for the next generation. His career was solidified when he took on the role of the Star Trek reboot's James T. Kirk, a role he’s reprised in the two other entries to the reboot film series, with fans hoping he’ll do so again in the planned fourth instalment. Speaking to Business Insider via Zoom earlier in the week, the star commented on returning to the franchise, giving fans an answer that they’re all too familiar with at this point. “I honestly don't know,” Pine asserted when asked if that ship had sailed. “There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it's always been with "Trek," I just wait and see.” During the interview, Pine also discussed how long it took him to settle into the role proper.

-Kirk is a tricky one. You are the lead of the band of characters, so you don't want to occupy too much space. It's fine if they are doing a thing, but you don't want to. And J.J. [Abrams] never asked me to do a thing, though I did do little nods to Shatner because it was fun… But I would say I felt most in his shoes in the third movie. By that point, I think I mellowed into it and didn't feel like I was trying too hard.

It’s been clear for a while now that Star Trek 4’s delays are getting on Pines's nerves, and fans certainly don’t want these misgivings to manifest in a refusal to reprise his role in the next film. Considering just how integral Pine and his character are to the reboot franchise, it would be expected that the franchise custodians at Paramount keep in touch even without a project in the works. However, that has consistently not been the case, and it’s worth wondering if the next instalment in the franchise might be looking to go in a separate direction entirely. Alternatively, progress might be suffering behind the scenes, and Paramount might not have anything to report yet, even to purported insiders. While this would be comforting for Chris Pine, it wouldn’t do much to calm unhappy fans.

Considering Star Trek 4 was supposed to begin production in 2022, the current state of affairs truly is worrying for fans and stars alike. The only news on the film front seems to be vague whispers of budget cuts and rounding off the mainline films, neither of which will get anyone excited. Both parties can only wait for Paramount to make the next move and enjoy the franchise’s other offerings in the meantime.

The Star Trek franchise is currently available to stream on Paramount+.

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Source: Business Insider