For a franchise that features interstellar travel, Star Trek sure seems to be having a lot of trouble getting off the ground. Following Star Trek Beyond, Star Trek 4 is seemingly in limbo. This uncertainty has been going on for a while now, and according to Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy actor Karl Urban, there is still no movement that he is aware of, as he explained.
I know nothing about Star Trek, I wish I did... No news, apparently there is no news.
So for anyone hoping to hear that the various issues plaguing Star Trek 4 were resolved and the franchise was moving forward, you'll have to keep on waiting. As Karl Urban told Showbiz Junkies, he is in the dark as much as the rest of us and there is no new news about the film. Like his co-stars, he is still waiting for updates.
Now just because Karl Urban hasn't heard anything doesn't mean that the gears aren't turning behind the scenes to get things moving again. It's possible that things are still being worked out and they just haven't gotten to a place where the cast is being updated because the situation is still fluid.
As far as what is holding up Star Trek 4, it seems to be more than one thing. At one point, the story for the film was supposedly going to involve time travel and see Chris Pine's James T. Kirk meet his father, Chris Hemsworth's George Kirk. However, those two actors stepped away from the project a couple months ago when Paramount apparently wanted them to take less money than their existing deals called for.
Karl Urban has previously expressed optimism that the salary situation would get sorted out, but that doesn't seem to have happened yet. There is also the question of what the story will be for the film. There are or were multiple scripts in the works for Star Trek 4, including one based on an idea proposed by Quentin Tarantino.
So I imagine that the contract disputes need to be sorted out definitively, one way or another, before Star Trek 4 can move forward. There is a debate to be had about whether or not Star Trek 4 can even work without Chris Pine, but regardless, if the scripts being written have his character in them, new scripts would be required if the actor doesn't return, unless they chose to recast.
It's a pity all these issues are plaguing the beloved property. Earlier this year, Star Trek 4 signed on the film side of the franchise's first female director, S.J. Clarkson, but who knows when she'll actually get to direct this film. Star Trek Beyond underperformed financially compared to its predecessors, but it was a critical hit, and perhaps if it was marketed better with a better release date, things might have been different. Hopefully the Enterprise, with this cast and crew, gets another chance to go boldly where no man has gone before.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated on all the latest news about Star Trek 4 and the future of this franchise. In the meantime, there are plenty of huge movies actually on their way to theaters next year. Check them out in our 2019 release schedule.
