Paramount is obviously interested in continuing the Star Trek film franchise, but it needs a script and, possibly, the original timeline.
With the recent news that Noah Hawley’s script has been put on pause, a new Star Trek movie could be farther away than we’d like. Perhaps it’s the Kelvin timeline that is the issue and not the script itself. Though the three movies set during that time period did well financially, they weren’t what the fans expected. If that’s the case, it could be time for Paramount to move away from that timeline and return to the original one.
On the other hand, it might simply be that Paramount simply hasn’t found a script that excites them enough to want to produce it. Noah Hawley’s script involved a whole new cast and crew while another one of the scripts Emma Watts, Paramount’s film chief, is considering revolves around the Kelvin timeline and brings back Chris Hemsworth.
Possibly a better idea is an idea proposed by Quentin Tarantino and written by The Revenant screenwriter Mark L. Smith. It is “based on an episode of the classic Star Trek series that takes place largely earthbound in a 30s gangster setting.” This would essentially be adapting “City on the Edge of Forever,” which wouldn’t altogether be a bad thing, considering how popular the episode was. And, of course, this would put the next Star Trek movie back in the original timeline.
Another option, that isn’t quite finished, though, is the script Robert Sallin, the producer of Star Trek: Wrath of Khan, has been hard at work on. Although that hasn’t made its way onto Watts’ radar, that we know of, it could be a viable property, although reports are that Tarantino’s script could possibly have a better chance at drawing in larger numbers from overseas viewers.
Though Tarantino isn’t currently attached to the film, CinemaBlend contends that could change if his script is chosen, especially since the director is a Star Trek fan. Though Star Trek isn’t his milieu, Tarantino would thrive helming a film set in the 1930s with gangsters.