X-Men Franchise Producer Simon Kinberg in Talks to Produce Star Trek Prequel Film

X-Men movie producer Simon Kinberg is in talks to work with Paramount Pictures for an upcoming Star Trek movie, IGN can confirm.

Should talks proceed, Kinberg will produce a currently untitled franchise film entry, thus opening the door to him potentially taking on more active creative roles for the series’ film outings. This information was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

The project Kinberg is in talks to join is already in development. As reported by Deadline earlier this year, the new Star Trek movie, which is separate from Paramount’s Star Trek 4, will be directed by Star Wars: Andor’s Toby Haynes. J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot is said to be attached to produce as well, with Seth Grahame-Smith set to pen the script.

Details on its plot are thin. However, it's set to take place decades before 2009’s reboot led by Chris Pine and involve the creation of Starfleet as well as humanity’s first contact with aliens. No release date has been set, but Paramount is said to be targeting a 2025 premiere. It’s been eight years since Star Trek: Beyond, the most recent movie in the franchise and the third starring Pine, came to theaters in 2016.

Just earlier this month, it was reported that Sony Pictures and investment firm Apollo Global Management had submitted an all-cash offer of $26 billion to acquire Paramount. The move would make Sony a majority shareholder and Apollo a minority shareholder should the offer be accepted. Paramount includes names like Nickelodeon, CBS, Comedy Central, and more, as well as its exclusive streaming service, Paramount+. It would also mean that Sony would take control of the Star Trek IP, though without confirmation that the deal has gone through, it’s best to wait for official confirmation before assuming too much.

Kinberg also holds producing credits on films like The Martian, 2015’s Fantastic Four, and A Haunting in Venice. For more on Paramount’s future, you can read about its strange Q1 earnings call from last month. Star Trek TV, meanwhile, will soon continue with Starfleet Academy, which is set to start filming its 10-episode Season 1 this summer.

Thumbnail credit: Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

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