Summary
- Star Trek 4 is finally happening with new writers and a new director, after a series of false starts and different ideas.
- While details on the story and cast are still unknown, the film has the potential to explore various aspects of the Star Trek universe, including the Kelvin timeline and the Prime universe.
- The release date for Star Trek 4 is set for June 9, 2023, but it is subject to change depending on the progress of production.
Star Trek 4 is finally happening, and here's everything we know about it, from its potential release date to the story details. The current iteration of the big screen Star Trek film franchise began in 2009 with J.J. Abrams' quasi-reboot Star Trek, starring Chris Pine as a younger, alternate universe version of Captain James T. Kirk. That first film and its sequel, 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness, were box office and critical hits. And while 2016's Star Trek Beyond was greeted warmly by critics and fans, it struggled at the box office, and Trek's future has been in question ever since.
While the movie wing of the Star Trek franchise has been faltering, the TV side has been flourishing. Star Trek: Discovery kicked off the modern era of Trek shows in 2017, followed by the hit Star Trek: Picard, and the adult animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks. Along with more seasons for all three series, more shows are on the horizon, as Star Trek becomes a foundational portion of the new streaming service Paramount+ (rebranded from CBS All Access).
But just because things are moving smoothly on TV, that doesn't mean Paramount isn't looking to transfer some of that success to the big screen. There have been some false starts on the film side over the past few years, with a handful of different Star Trek 4 ideas being thrown around, but it seems that the sequel is finally back on track with a new writer and direction.
Star Trek 4 Is Happening
It was previously announced that Star Trek: Discovery writer Kalinda Vasquez - who was actually named after a character on Star Trek: The Original Series - would write Star Trek 4. However, that's since changed, as Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet are now set to pen the script. Beer is set to write and direct a Pet Sematary prequel for Paramount too, while Robertson-Dworet was a co-writer on Captain Marvel. Abrams will return to produce, but directing duties are being handed to Matt Shakman, who helmed Marvel's WandaVision show as well as working on episodes of Game of Thrones. This follows a few false starts, including ideas from Quentin Tarantino and Fargo and Legion mastermind Noah Hawley. Tarantino seems to have steadily lost interest in the idea, and Hawley admitted the studio wanted to go in a different direction than what he had planned.
Will The Star Trek: Beyond Cast Return?
It's not yet clear if the cast from the three previous films will return. At one point, the plan was absolutely to have the cast back in a time travel story that would have included Chris Hemsworth's George Kirk from 2009's Star Trek, but that was several iterations ago. Hawley's story likely would not have included Pine and friends, since it was going in a new direction with a new cast. As for what era of Star Trek Beer and Robertson-Dworet's story takes place in, it's simply too early to tell.
Star Trek 4 Story
There are no concrete story hints at this point. Now that Star Trek is under one corporate umbrella again, virtually the entire Star Trek mythos would be open to exploring in a feature film, be it the Kelvin timeline films with Pine and company, or something set in the Prime universe that can expand on Picard, Discovery, or other shows. Of course, Paramount and crew could also boldly go in a new direction no writer or director has gone before.
Star Trek 4 Release Date
Paramount has dated Star Trek 4's theatrical bow for June 9, 2023. Seeing as how it's only in the script stage and no cast or official title have been announced, a two-plus year wait for fans from now seems about right. Typically, past Star Trek movies took that long when moving through development and into production, then post-production. Of course, should there be any major delays in getting production moving, that far away release date gives Paramount wiggle room to push it back if need be, with little likely backlash.