There are many upcoming Star Trek projects, and technically, the fourth Kelvin movie is one of them. Of course, fans collectively roll their eyes at that because the movie has had so many hang-ups over the years that even the latest news about its development this year didn't get too many people talking. I take that back, Chris Pine did say he was confused to hear it was closer to happening, which isn't exactly a vote of confidence. As time goes on, how does Zachary Quinto feel about it happening?
Quinto, who is currently part of the 2024 TV schedule with his new NBC series Brilliant Minds, spoke to Variety about the possibility that too much time could pass for Star Trek 4 to happen with the Kelvin cast. Specifically, is there a cutoff to when it can be made in his mind? The Spock actor said the following:
There’s no cutoff. The original cast did movies for decades, well into their 50s, 60s. The stories might be different. We might not be running as fast on the other planets, but I think anything’s possible, and I think there’s nothing more fulfilling as an artist then to come back to something after time has passed, and cultivate a relationship with it from a completely different perspective, and a completely new point of view.
He's completely right, and as any Star Trek fan will know, the story is never truly over for the characters. The fourth Kelvin movie can always happen, but it'll be a matter of how the script adapts to find the Enterprise crew down the stretch. Quinto is only 47, and Leonard Nimoy was 55 when he did the fourth TOS movie, The Voyage Home.
Of course, that's kind of an unfair comparison to make. From 1979 to 1991, there were only about two to three years between each TOS movie. Star Trek: Beyond, the third movie in the Kelvin timeline, celebrated its eighth anniversary in July. Even in the best-case scenario where filming started today, I'd imagine we'd be past the nine-year mark before the movie hits theaters.
Actors can be patient, but whether Paramount is willing to wait that long is another story. Star Trek will return to films on the streaming side with Star Trek: Section 31, and is currently developing a movie for the silver screen centered on the origin story of the Federation. Assuming those movies find an audience and are hits, what does it mean for the future of Star Trek 4?
It might motivate everyone involved to work a little harder on coming together for a movie, but I could also see a scenario in which making this movie becomes less of a priority for the studio. After all, paying for this ensemble cast in 2024 would likely be more expensive than it was close to a decade ago, and I'm not sure it was necessarily cheap when they did Beyond. There will likely be real conversations as time marches on of the cost of making this movie weighed against the audience interest that is out there.
As a Star Trek fan, I'll stay excited about seeing it regardless, but this movie will need more than die-hard fans in seats to be a box-office success. At the same time, this movie doesn't happen without the actors, so it's good to hear Quinto is down for more, regardless of how old he is.
Until we see Zachary Quinto as Spock again, readers can check him out in Brilliant Minds on NBC on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. ET. Check it out right now to see him play a Doctor rather than a Vulcan, which is pretty enjoyable!
