Thenext Star Trek movieis moving forward withWandaVisiondirector Matt Shakman. Deadline reports that Shakman has just signed a deal to direct the next untitledStar Trekmovie for Paramount and Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams, following several false starts to get the franchise’s next movie off the ground. The news comes shortly after Shakman’sWandaVisionnabbed 23 Emmy nominations this year, instantly making everyone involved a much hotter commodity.
Of course, the biggest question most everyone will have about the newStar Trekis if it will serve as a continuation of the previous movies. Per Deadline, the plan is for the original cast from the reboot timeline, the one led byChris Pine, to come back for the sequel. Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson penned the screenplay for the movie and Shakman will be seated in the director’s chair.
Though prior attempts to develop a newStar Trekhave stalled, the plan for this version withMatt Shakmanon board to direct is to fast-track its production. Words is the project is scheduled to start filming next spring. As of now, no additional details have been revealed about its potential plot beyond that the plan is for Pine and the other cast members to return. Sadly, Anton Yelchin won’t be able to return as Pavel Chekov, as he passed away in 2016 after starring in threeStar Trekmovies.
The lastStar Trek movieto hit theaters was 2016’sStar Trek Beyond. In the years since,Star Trek 4stalled as various filmmakers came on board only to leave before filming could begin. At one point, Quentin Tarantino had pitched the idea of directing an R-ratedStar Trekas his final movie. In 2019, Noah Hawley was reportedly hired to write and direct a newStar Trek, but it wasn’t clear if Pine and the original cast would return for that iteration.
Back in March, another update on the franchise came along when it was announced that Kalinda Vasquez (Star Trek: Discovery) was on board to write anotherStar Trekmovie. As with this project involving Shakman, Paramount Pictures was set to produce with Bad Robot. At this time, it’s not clear if this project is still in development separately from Shakman’s movie, though the new report by Deadline states that the latter will be the nextStar Trekmovie to be released.
Matt Shakman is now best known for producing and directingWandaVision, especially after the show’s big success with its Emmy nominations. He has previously directed episodes of big shows likeIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,Fargo, andGame of Thrones. His movie work is much more limited, though he did direct the thrillerCut Bankin 2014 which starred Liam Hemsworth, Billy Bob Thornton, and John Malkovich.
The world ofStar Trekwill continue to expand on the small screen as well. New seasons of the showsStar Trek: DiscoveryandStar Trek: Picardare currently in the works for Paramount+. Even so, the franchise is perhaps overdue for its return to theaters, so it’s good to know the project is back on track with aWandaVisiontalent at the helm. This news was first reported byDeadline.
