While the television side of the Star Trek franchise has been going strong lately with shows like Discovery and Picard, it’s been nearly four and a half years since the last Star Trek movie came out. As things stand now, it’s unclear how the Star Trek film series will move forward, whether it’s continuing to follow along with the U.S.S. Enterprise crew in the Kevin timeline or meet a brand-new group of characters. One of the ways the former could happen is through the movie envisioned by Quentin Tarantino and The Revenant screenwriter Mark L. Smith, and Chris Pine, the man who’s been playing James T. Kirk since 2009’s Star Trek, sounds like he’d be game for that project.
Chris Pine is currently making the press rounds to promote his latest movie, Wonder Woman 1984, and while speaking with Comicbook.com, he was asked if he’d had any conversations with Quentin Tarantino about his Star Trek movie that’s in consideration over at Paramount Pictures. Pine responded with the following:
You know, I haven't [read a script]. I really, in terms of the Star Trek of it all, I wish I knew anything. I'm quite literally one of the last people ever to find out. So, I haven't read that script, I don't know where it is in development, I haven't read the Noah Hawley script, I have no idea what's happening in Star Trek land. But I love the character, I love the universe, I love my friends in it, you know, to have a Quentin take on it would be tremendously interesting and entertaining. You know, look, whatever happens, if I come back or not, it's a great universe, it deserves to have a future, and I hope that is the case.
So while Chris Pine still isn’t entirely sure if he’ll be stepping back into Captain Kirk’s shoes for a fourth time, the prospect of starring in a Star Trek movie that comes from Quentin Tarantino’s mind sounds appealing to him. Tarantino confirmed back in July 2019 that his Star Trek movie would follow the main characters from the Kelvin-era movies, with the story taking place in a 1920s/‘30s gangster setting (thus being inspired by the Original Series episode “A Piece of the Action”). More recently, Mark L. Smith said that he and Tarantino had fun specifically writing Kirk. While the previous three Star Trek movies were rated PG-13, this Star Trek story would fall into R-rated territory, as we’ve come to expect from Tarantino’s cinematic offerings.
That being said, it’s worth noting that while Quentin Tarantino pitched his Star Trek movie to Paramount in late 2017 and was initially interested in helming the feature, he has since said it’s unlikely he’ll sit in the director’s chair for the project. So Chris Pine and his costars wouldn’t be exploring strange new worlds boldly going further into sequel territory directly under Tarantino’s guiding hand, although the filmmaker did offer to give “some notes on the first rough cut.” Of course, that’s assuming this Star Trek movie moves forward.
Back in August, it was reported that in addition to Quentin Tarantino and Mark L. Smith’s Star Trek movie, Paramount was also considering Star Trek 4 and the Star Trek movie thought up by Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley. Star Trek 4 is the same movie that was announced shortly before Star Trek Beyond’s release, and would see Chris Pine’s Kirk meeting his father George, reprised by Chris Hemsworth, in a time travel adventure. That project’s development was complicated a few years later when Pine and Hemsworth walked away due to pay disputes, but evidently there might still be some life in that story. Hawley’s Star Trek movie, on the other hand, would spotlight a completely different starship crew and reportedly center on a deadly virus.
Whatever the future holds in store for the Star Trek film series, we here at CinemaBlend will keep you apprised of the latest developments. For now, Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 is unfolding on CBS All Access, and you can learn what movies are arriving in theaters next year with our 2021 release schedule.
