After Rumored Setbacks, Star Trek 4 Has Taken A Huge Step Forward

It’s been too long since Star Trek graced the big screen. The last time Trekkies watched the USS Enterprise go into warp speed in theaters was back in 2016 with Star Trek Beyond. Since then, Paramount has been trying to bring back Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and his crew for one last hurrah, but setback after setback has been rumored to bring down the project. However, the latest news about Star Trek 4 brings some revived hope for another galactic adventure.

Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions have reportedly found a new screenwriter for Star Trek 4 in The Flight Attendant creator Steve Yockey. Per the news that comes from Variety, Yockey will pen the script for what’s expected to be the final installment of the saga starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, Karl Urban, John Cho and Simon Pegg. It’s a huge step forward for the long-gestating project, but it should be noted that this report signals Star Trek 4 is still in early development over at Paramount.

Steve Yockey started his career in Hollywood as a writer for television shows like Awkward, Scream and Supernatural before developing HBO’s The Flight Attendant from the novel of the same name. The series starring Kaley Cuoco was cancelled after two seasons, but was critically-acclaimed throughout its run and earned Cuoco numerous accolades, alongside other aspects of the production.

Yockey has another series coming soon to the 2024 TV schedule with Netflix’s Dead Boy Detectives. The supernatural detective comedy is based on the DC Comics property by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, and is set to premiere for those with a Netflix subscription on April 25.

Over the years, there’s been numerous writers and directors attached to the next Star Trek movie, from Madame Web’s S.J. Clarkson previously in talks to direct back in 2018, to Fargo’s Noah Hawley being attached to write and direct back in 2019. WandaVision’s Matt Shakman was last involved for a year before he decided to leave the project to direct the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. According to Shakman, while he very much enjoyed his time working on Star Trek 4 alongside J.J. Abrams, returning to Marvel Studios to revive the comic book crew, was “too hard to pass up.”

This step forward for Star Trek 4 comes just a few months after rumors came out that Paramount was thinking of rebooting the franchise again. A couple of months ago, it was also reported that Andor’s Toby Haynes will direct another Star Trek movie based on a script by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’s Seth Grahame-Smith.

While we know very little about the direction of Star Trek 4, here’s hoping the main cast led by Chris Pine will in fact come back once more! Check out our ranking of all the Star Trek movies as we imagine what could be in store for the iconic Starfleet crew!