The future of theStar Trekfranchise, at least on the big screen, remains murky as ever. Paramount Pictures, under new film chief Emma Watts, is currently developing three different projects in the sci-fi franchise, all of which are at various points in the process. It is considered a top priority to figure out how best to reboot the franchise. One of the ideas waspitched by Quentin Tarantino, which we originally heard about a few years back. Now, we have some new details on the project, which is said to involve gangsters and takes place on Earth.
According to a new report, this project, which has a script from Mark L. Smith (The Revenant), is based on a classicStar Trekepisode and has an “Earthbound” setting. It involves gangsters, which sounds the most like an episode of the original series titledA Piece of the Action. The episode in question aired during season 2 of the show’s run and sees Captain Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to a planet where they discover a government shaped after the Chicago gangs of the 1920s. This lines up with previous comments Quentin Tarantino has made about the movie, saying it will bePulp Fictionin space with a “gangster element.”
Originally, the idea was to haveQuentin Tarantinodirect it. The filmmaker, while promotingOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, indicated that he wasn’t planning on taking the helm but that the movie might still get made. While it doesn’t sound totally dead in the water, Paramount is trying to find the best course of action to take following the relative commercial disappointment of 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.
One of theother ideas comes from Noah Hawley(Fargo). Hawley signed on last year to develop an entry in the franchise, which is now said to be on hold. Hawley has not formally exited yet and the project was in “soft prep.” While the reason for pausing his version hasn’t been confirmed by the studio, it’s said his story would have involved a virus wiping out much of the universe. Given what is going on in the world currently, that may hit a little too close to home.
Lastly, there is the long-discussedStar Trek 4, which would bring back the cast from the J.J. Abrams rebooted version of the franchise. The idea, at one point, was to have Chris Hemsworth return as the father of Chris Pine’s James T. Kirk. Hemsworth appeared briefly in the 2009Star Trek. Keeping both Hemsworth and Pine on board, in addition to the rest of the cast, is an expensive prospect, which held things up. S.J. Clarkson was on board to direct but she departed to helm theGame of Thronesspin-off for HBO that wasn’t picked up to series.
It is being reported that both Noah Hawley and Quentin Tarantino’s movies are viewed more as spin-offs and not so much as entries best suited to relaunch the franchise. Meanwhile,Star Trekis thriving on the small screen over at CBS All Access. This news was previously reported byDeadline.
