A rumored four Star Trek movies are currently in development, but realistically, which of these projects, if any, will happen?
Summary
- Only one of the four Star Trek movies currently in development is in active production.
- Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Section 31 movie is the most concrete project, currently in production for Paramount+.
- Rumors of a Star Trek: Picard movie have emerged but there is no confirmation or indication of its development.
If rumors are to be believed, there are currently four Star Trek movies in various states of development. However, fans have good reason to be skeptical about whether these movie projects will happen. A sequel to 2016’s Star Trek Beyond has languished in development hell for almost eight years, with no signs of entering active production after it was removed from Paramount’s theatrical slate in 2023. Reports recently emerged about a second J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek movie, which would be set decades before the 2009 reboot.
As if two Star Trek projects in development for theatrical release weren’t enough, there are also reportedly two spinoff movies, one of which is confirmed to stream on Paramount+. This would be Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Section 31, which is in production. Details of the second Star Trek movie are slightly more nebulous, with various outlets jumping on the apparent existence of a script for a Star Trek: Picard continuation. It’s worth pointing out, however, that only one of these four Star Trek projects is in active production.
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4 Star Trek: Section 31 Movie On Paramount Plus
Confirmed and filming from January until March in Toronto.
Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Section 31 movie is the most concrete feature film project currently in the works. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi from a script by Craig Sweeny, Section 31 will return to the story of Emperor Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and her role within Starfleet’s titular covert organization. Not much more is known about the Paramount+ exclusive Star Trek movie, but more details may begin emerging now that Section 31 has entered production. One of the biggest questions is whether the Section 31 movie takes place between Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2, or if it picks up the story of Georgiou after Discovery season 3.
Star Trek: Section 31 is the only Star Trek movie that is currently in production, but it’s aimed at Paramount+’s streaming audience and not a theatrical one. That’s despite featuring Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh in the lead role, but Yeoh’s involvement may have some crossover appeal. Yeoh has reportedly been a driving force in getting Star Trek: Section 31 made, which is in sharp contrast to how J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek cast has been kept at arm’s length when it comes to a fourth Kelvin Timeline movie.
Section 31 is the first of what is hoped to be a series of made-for-streaming-on-Paramount+ Star Trek movies every two years.
3 Star Trek Origin Prequel Movie
Writer Seth Grahame-Smith and director Toby Haynes are attached to the project.
News about a new Star Trek origin movie was broken by Deadline on January 10, 2024. Sources told the Hollywood news site that the new Star Trek movie will be written by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter‘s Seth Grahame-Smith and directed by Star Wars: Andor and Doctor Who‘s Toby Haynes. The story is reported to take place “decades before” the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies. The Star Trek origin movie will be produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, suggesting that it will be linked to the Kelvin rather than the Prime timeline, despite both being potential settings given the time frame.
No further details about the story of the new Star Trek origin movie have been revealed, but Abrams’ involvement and the setting do suggest it could be set in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the USS Kelvin, although “decades before” also hints the prequel movie could be set even further in the past. The involvement of Seth Grahame-Smith and Toby Haynes is a good indicator that this is a serious prospect for a future Star Trek movie. However, one need only look at the wealth of talent that has been attached to Star Trek 4 since 2016 to see that this is not a guarantee the origin movie will see cameras rolling.
As well as directing Andor and Doctor Who, Toby Haynes also directed Black Mirror‘s Star Trek homage, “USS Callister”.
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2 Star Trek 4
The final chapter for Chris Pine’s crew is in “active development”.
The same report in Deadline revealed that “the final chapter in that main series, Star Trek 4, remains in active development.” While it’s heartening to know that Paramount Studios still want to give Chris Pine’s Star Trek movies the send-off that they deserve, there’s still much to be skeptical about. Star Trek 4 was originally slated for a Christmas 2023 theatrical release until director Matt Shakman left the project. Shakman joined Hollywood big hitters like Chris Hemsworth and Quentin Tarantino in departing Star Trek 4, a project that has been in development since 2016.
There have been no announcements about new directors or writers being attached to Star Trek 4 after Lindsay Beer left to direct Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. Chris Pine publicly stated that he wasn’t aware of a Star Trek 4 project back in November 2023. However, the uncomfortable truth about the future of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies is that the cast always appears to be the last people to hear about any developments. Until there’s an official announcement about filming dates for Star Trek 4, it would be prudent not to expect Chris Pine’s final chapter to hit theaters any time soon.
1 Star Trek: Picard Movie
Has a Patrick Stewart interview been misunderstood?
Rumors of a Star Trek: Picard movie emerged from an interview with Patrick Stewart on Joshua Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. During a discussion about Star Trek movies and filmmaking in general, Patrick Stewart revealed that a script “for the actor Patrick to perform” was in development. Various outlets took this to mean that a Star Trek: Picard movie was in the scripting stages. However, placed in the context of Patrick Stewart’s conversation with Joshua Horowitz, the quote doesn’t reveal anything of the sort. It sounds more like Patrick Stewart is talking about another, non-Star Trek project.
Patrick Stewart then goes on to discuss Star Trek:Picard with Josh Horowitz as if it’s a separate entity from the script that he was expecting in the mail. Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Section 31 movie is said to be the first of a series of Paramount+ exclusive movies, but there’s nothing to suggest that a Picard movie is in development. While a Picard movie could serve as a backdoor pilot for Terry Matalas’ similarly hypothetical Star Trek: Legacy show, there is currently no reason that Star Trek fans should expect a Patrick Stewart-led movie.
