Sad news for Star Trek fans, because as much as Chris Pine wants to share any details on the fourth movie’s progress, the actor is totally clueless about the long-delayed installment. Despite playing one of the lead characters, the Captain Kirk actor says he is awfully out of the loop.
The Star Trek 4 project has seen a lot of changes, although it never seemed to achieve any fruitful results. Quentin Tarantino and Noah Hawley reportedly penned the scripts that never materialized. Matt Shakman, director of Marvel’s WandaVision, was set to helm the film but eventually dropped the project to focus on the Fantastic Four reboot.
The most unfortunate news came in September last year when Paramount reportedly removed Star Trek 4 from its calendar.
Chris Pine Reveals Entire Cast Has No Knowledge About Star Trek 4
Star Trek lead Chris Pine spoke with Esquire to give insights about the much-awaited fourth installment. He confessed he knows nothing about it.
“I don’t know anything. In ‘Star Trek’ land, the actors are usually the last people to find out anything. I know costume designers that have read scripts before the actors.”
The actor, as well as his co-stars Zoe Saldaña and Zachary Quinto, had no idea that Paramount was planning to release a fourth movie. Pine said that “it’s frustrating” on their part to have no knowledge of the movie they are supposed to participate in.
“It doesn’t really foster the greatest sense of partnership, but it’s how it’s always been. I love the character. I love the people. I love the franchise. But to try to change the system in which things are created — I just can’t do it. I don’t have the energy.”
The Star Trek franchise has been around for several decades and is one of the long-standing movie series that forever changed the game of pop culture. The third installment, released in 2016, suddenly saw a decline in fans’ interest, with only $344 million profit at the worldwide box office. Since then, the franchise’s future has been hanging by a thread.
Chris Pine believes the studio is pressing the Star Trek films to compete against Marvel movies. He commented:
“I’m not sure ‘Star Trek’ was ever built to do that kind of business. I always thought, ‘Why aren’t we just appealing to this really rabid fan group and making the movie for a good price and going on our merry way, instead of trying to compete with the Marvels of the world?’ After the last one came out and didn’t do the $1 billion that everybody wanted it to do, and then Anton [Yelchin] passed away, I don’t know, it just seemed…”
On top of all the actor’s lamentations pertaining to the uncertain future of the Star Trek films, he confessed that the franchise “feels like it’s cursed.”
What We Know So Far About Star Trek 4
At this point, Star Trek 4 is not coming into theaters on December 2023 as originally planned. Although Paramount reportedly removed it from its timetable, there is no official announcement of cancelation yet.
In June 2022, Paramount head Brian Robbins confirmed that the fourth project is in the works. He told Variety:
“We’re deep into it with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively. I’m a research nerd, and what the data tells me is that the audience wants that cast in this movie.”
The cast has also expressed their enthusiasm for reprising their roles. While the actors are still being kept “out of the loop” and plot details are still kept under wraps, Star Trek fans will have to wait a little longer until Paramount makes any official announcement.
