Star Trek 4 is on the way, trekkies!
From the moment Star Trek, starring Chris Pine, dropped in 2009, J.J. Abrams has captivated Star Trek fans, by expanding on a beautiful universe with an amazing space adventure that showed off just how wonderful the world of Star Trek is. The last film release was way back in 2016, titled Star Trek Beyond, and for some time, it felt like another movie would never come.
However, Star Trek 4 has taken some steps towards becoming a reality, starting off with news in February 2022 and continuing to now. New details have been released about the long-awaited movie. If you’re looking for some of the latest updates on it, here are some quick things that we know about the upcoming sequel.
Star Trek 4 Was Announced To Be In The Works In February 2022
Fear not, all the loyal fans out there, as Star Trek 4 has officially been announced by J.J. Abrams. As first reported by Variety from the Paramount Investors Day Presentation in February 2022, Abrams himself said that they're “hard at work” on the new Star Trek film and that shooting for the movie will begin by the “end of the year.”
Abrams also teased that the original cast, as well as some new players, would appear, creating a new Star Trek experience. With how much Star Trek has evolved over the last few years, thanks to new shows such as Star Trek: Discovery or Star Trek: Picard, it’s exciting to hear that the films are also going to be bringing in new characters for us to love just as much as the television shows.
Star Trek 4 Has Been Temporarily Removed From Paramount’s Release Schedule
The original premiere date was already being pushed around for some time prior to this, but with everything sort of up in the air right now, Star Trek 4 has been temporarily removed from the Paramount release schedule, according to Deadline, as of September 2022.
In November 2021, THR reported that Star Trek 4 was delayed until December 22nd, 2023, as it had originally been slated to come out on June 9, 2023. But now, it’s unclear if it’s going to find a place on the 2023 movie release list, and there’s no new date announced.
Hopefully, we won’t need to wait long for a new release date, but I’d rather Paramount not push it so quickly if that means we need to sacrifice the quality. I can wait as long as possible.
Chris Pine Is Set To Return As The Star
It was sort of up in the air for some time whether Chris Pine was going to return to the Star Trek franchise. While he did star in the latest movies, Pine himself didn’t even know the fourth installment was in development, as reported above from The Hollywood Reporter. But, per the Deadline article above, Pine is going to star in the fourth movie.
Pine has been doing a lot the last six years since his last appearance in the Star Trek universe. Most recently, he was a part of the Don’t Worry Darling cast, and has appeared in films such as the Wonder Woman movies, All the Old Knives, A Wrinkle in Time, and is going to be appearing in 2023’s Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, so he’s been quite busy. However, I can’t wait to see him return as James T. Kirk in Star Trek 4.
Zoe Saldana And More Are Expected To Return For Star Trek 4
If you were wondering if any of the other stars are set to come back, the previously mentioned Variety report noted that several of the film's primary actors are in talks to return to the franchise for a fourth movie. When the film was first announced, it was a surprise to everyone from the original franchise that Star Trek 4 was even in the works, according to an early 2022 story from The Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to Chris Pine, this includes Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Simon Pegg.
Zoe Saldana has been in the superhero world for some time, appearing as Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise – which is set to have a third movie come out in May 2023. Saldana also made appearances as Gamora in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, so she’s been quite busy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. John Cho led Cowboy Bebop on Netflix, adding on to his impressive list of TV and movie performances. Zachary Quinto has appeared in The Boys in the Band and will be featured in the upcoming season of American Horror Story: NYC.
For sure, these stars have been busy as heck and will undoubtedly be appearing in many 2022 upcoming movies and beyond, but to hear that they’re potentially going to be back for Star Trek 4 is even more exciting.
J.J. Abrams Will Be Producing Star Trek 4
As reported by Variety, Star Trek 4 will be produced by J.J. Abrams, but not directed by him. This isn’t that much of a surprise. While Abrams did direct the first two Star Trek films, Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, he stepped down from Star Trek Beyond to become an executive producer and handed over the directing torch to Justin Lin.
Abrams is going to be doing the same thing for Star Trek 4, working as a producer while another director takes the lead. However, this time around there will be a new person in the director’s chair, rather than Justin Lin.
WandaVision Director, Matt Shakman, Will No Longer Be Directing Star Trek 4
Originally, it was announced that WandaVision director Matt Shakman, would be directing Star Trek 4, according to Deadline, in July 2021. However, that has since changed, as Shakman is now tacked on to direct the upcoming Fantastic Four film in the MCU, according to Deadline.
WandaVision was a huge hit for both Disney+ and Marvel when it released in early 2021, scoring multiple award nominations and wins, and earning the love of fans everywhere, so it was exciting to see him sign on for something as big as Star Trek. But, reportedly due to time conflicts with Fantastic Four, Shakman can no longer direct. Paramount released a statement in regards to his departure.
Matt Shakman is an incredibly talented filmmaker, and we regret the timing didn’t align for him to direct our upcoming Star Trek film. We are grateful for his many contributions, are excited about the creative vision of this next chapter and look forward to bringing it to audiences all around the world.
With this announcement, and no word since on who will direct, it’s not very surprising that the film was taken off the release schedule. But hopefully, that won't take too long.
How To Watch The J.J. Abrams Star Trek Movies Streaming
If you’re like me and you can’t wait to see another Star Trek movie, the previous films are available to either rent or stream right now. The first J.J. Abrams Star Trek film begins the adventure, as the USS Enterprise combats a mighty force that threatens the lives of innocent people.
Stream Star Trek on Netflix.
Rent Star Trek on Amazon.
The second film, Star Trek Into Darkness, stars the same crew when they are sent to investigate a Starfleet member who has turned into a terrorist and is causing hell for everyone.
Stream Star Trek Into Darkness on Paramount+.
Rent Star Trek Into Darkness on Amazon.
Star Trek Beyond, the most recent entry so far in the franchise, follows the story of the Enterprise crew out on a rescue mission until it's revealed later on that it’s an attack, and now they must fight to stay alive against their enemies.
Stream Star Trek Beyond on Amazon Prime through AMC+.
Rent Star Trek Beyond on Amazon.
And, if for some reason that’s still not enough Star Trek goodness for you, Paramount+ has so much Star Trek content that I’m quite sure you’ll find plenty of stuff to watch until Star Trek 4 releases.
What are you looking forward to the most with Star Trek 4? No matter who's added to the cast or when it comes out, I’m sure it’ll be a great time and we’ll get to live long and prosper together once more.
