Star Trek 4 has had a tumultuous time, seemingly canceled at one point and recently losing its director to Marvel. Unsurprisingly, all of this has led to Paramount pulling the movie from its film slate, with nothing on its return.
If previous stories about the anticipated movie are anything to go by, we wouldn’t write off this installment just yet. That being said, it’s really not looking good for fans who enjoy this fun take on the Star Trek mythos.
No more Star Trek 4?
According to Variety, the still unnamed Star Trek 4 has officially been pulled from Paramount’s movie slate for obvious reasons. The news comes one month after Matt Shackman left the project so he could direct Fantastic Four for Marvel Studios.
Prior to the director leaving, most of the lead actors who appeared in the other movies were set to return. Chris Pine, who notably turned down a Star Trek 4 return previously, was set to come back as Captain Kirk.
Hopefully, the studio finds someone to direct this venture, as many fans have been waiting for Star Trek’s cinematic return. Since this is a huge sci-fi franchise, there’s always a chance that a new director comes along and actually stays on.
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What’s next?
Now that Star Trek 4 is seemingly on hold, we aren’t sure if it will make its December 2023 release. Before fans start to panic, keep in mind that Star Trek is a huge franchise and there’s plenty of content to keep fans busy.
It was recently announced that Deep Space 9 and Strange New Worlds would be getting comic books. Strange New Worlds and Picard also have new seasons coming out next year, the latter of which is set to be the finale.
Fans will never run out of Star Trek content but we hope Star Trek 4 eventually comes out.