Paramount pulled Noah Hawley off Star Trek just before production started

Noah Hawley may never get to see his vision of Star Trek come to fruition, as he himself has confirmed Paramount pulled him from the project.

There have been more rumors about the future of the Star Trek film franchise than a YouTube drama vlog. Rumors circulated that several scripts were in the works and that one of them would eventually be made into a new film. Then the rumors changed and word around town was that new Paramount films boss Emma Watts was changing course on future Trek films.

Then there was the rumor that Hawley’s Star Trek film was still being considered but was on hold. Now in a conversation with Deadline, it’s become clear that all Star Trek plans may have been shelved, or at the very least, just Hawley’s.

Speaking to Deadline, Hawley revealed that his plans for Trek are no longer on hold, but they’re not being made either, effectively ending his tenure with the franchise. As brief as it was.

"DEADLINE: And is Star Trek possibly still in the cards for you at the new Emma Watts-run Paramount or is that too on hold?HAWLEY: It doesn’t appear to be in my immediate future. I think when Emma came in, she took a look at the franchise and wanted to go in a different direction with it. But you know, life is long, we were very close to production but in this business that doesn’t mean much. You got to get out of the gate to be in the race if you know what I mean."

Hawley’s vision for a new Star Trek film would’ve seen a new cast come in, instead of using the Chris Pine/Simon Pegg cast from the last few movies. While that may have ruffled some feathers, Hawley had a clear understanding of what made Star Trek films so good. His seeming departure from the franchise and any future installments isn’t something that should be seen in a positive light.

While it’s fair to criticize the decisions that Star Trek has made since 2009, the fact is to not do something with the film property is a bit odd. While the focus is to make Trek the tentpole property for the upcoming relaunch of CBS All Access into Paramount+, the folks over at ViacomCBS should really figure out a way to get fans a new Star Trek adventure.

May I suggest a time-traveling story, that features Scott Bakula back as Jonathan Archer, please?