Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew might be headed back to the big screen with director Noah Hawley taking over at the helm.
According to Deadline, Hawley is in final talks to write and direct the fourth installment of the big-screen Star Trek series that J.J. Abrams launched in 2009. Abrams will serve as co-producer and will release the film through his production company, Bad Robot.
Hawley is best known for writing, directing, and running the small-screen Coen Brothers adaptation Fargo and the X-Men spin-off Legion, both of which aired on FX. Hawley’s first feature film, the Jon Hamm and Natalie Portman drama Lucy in the Sky, debuted early this year. In addition to his movie and TV work, Hawley is also a best-selling novelist.
Despite previous reports, Abrams’ full Star Trek crew is expected to return for Hawley’s sequel. Previously, the fourth Star Trek installment stalled after Chris Pine, who plays Captain Kirk in the new films, and Chris Hemsworth, who appeared in Abrams’ reboot as Kirk’s father, ended negotiations with Paramount after the studio tried to cut their salaries.
The proposed wage cuts stemmed from the underwhelming performance of the third film in the series, Star Trek Beyond, which hit theaters in 2016. Beyond, which was directed by frequent Fast and the Furious helmer Justin Lin and was co-written by Star Trek star Simon Pegg, received positive reviews from critics but didn’t make quite as much money as Paramount had hoped, forcing the studio to “hold the line” on the sequel’s budget.
Judging by Deadline’s report, it looks like the dispute between Pine and Paramount is over, although it’s not clear if Hemsworth is still in talks to appear in the movie, or if Hawley is going to start over with an entirely new script and concept.
Definitely not returning for Star Trek 4 is S.J. Clarkson, who had previously been announced as the film’s director. Clarkson, who has directed episodes of The Defenders, Jessica Jones, Succession, Orange is the New Black, and many other television shows, would’ve been the first female director of a big-screen Star Trek adventure.
The Star Trek 4 revival comes at a watershed moment for the Star Trek franchise, which has seen renewed momentum on television. In addition to Star Trek: Discovery, which is about to launch its third season, CBS All Access is prepping a number of other Star Trek series, including the Star Trek: The Next Generation sequel Star Trek: Picard.
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