Chris Pine doens’t want Star Trek to go the way of Marvel and we agree

Chris Pine doesn’t want Star Trek to chase Marvel.

Chris Pine is happy to be back with Star Trek but doesn’t want to see the brand continue to chase the billion-dollar mark that Marvel and others have been obsessed with and for good reason. In an interview with Deadline, Pine talks about the constant need to chase the billion-dollar mark, even though it takes hundreds of millions of dollars to hit it.

Pine brings up the idea that the $100 billion isn’t profit, it’s a gross, and that the profits for such films could be much higher if you simply adapted the budget so that it’s not so overblown. Talking to Deadline, Pine goes further into the topic, saying;

"We always tried to get the huge international market. It was always about making the billion dollars. It was always this billion-dollar mark because Marvel was making a billion. Billion, billion, billion. We struggled with it because Star Trek, for whatever reason, its core audience is rabid. Like rabid, as you know. To get these people that are interested that maybe are Star Wars fans or think Star Trek is not cool or whatever, proven to be … we’ve definitely done a good job of it but not the billion-dollar kind of job that they want.I’ve always thought that Star Trek should operate in the zone that is smaller. You know, it’s not a Marvel appeal. It’s like, let’s make the movie for the people that love this group of people, that love this story, that love Star Trek. Let’s make it for them and then, if people want to come to the party, great. But make it for a price and make it, so that if it makes a half-billion dollars, that’s really good.But we operate in a system now which I don’t know how much longer we have of you have to spend 500 million dollars on a film to reach …even you have to pay all sorts of people back. So to make a billion, it’s like you haven’t even — a billion is the gross. You haven’t brought your net in. So I mean, if I had my business suit on, that’s what I would do, but I don’t know where that is. That’s all above my pay grade."

Pine brings up a good point; isn’t the goal to make money? Why does the quest for the box office have to be about hitting a specific number; no matter how much you lose in profits to hit it? Star Trek has always been a smaller franchise with regard to its budget and for good reason.

It’s a franchise built around well-trained, standout actors. It’s a stageplay with a sci-fi budget, and that’s how it works best. If Star Wars is a space opera, Star Trek is a broadway classic.

Star Trek 4 still doesn’t have a script yet

It’s a bit worrisome that Star Trek 4 still doesn’t have a script. The film is expected to begin production in early 2023, but no script has been finalized. Luckily though, it appears that there is a direction for the film; at least according to Pine.

Pine, in the same interview with Deadline, spoke about the script process.

"I’ve not read a script. I met the director, Matt [Shakman], who I really like. I met a producer on it that I really like. I know JJ [Abrams] is involved in it in some respects. I met the new people over at Paramount, which is many different kind of relations. I really liked them. Everybody seems excited about the prospect of it. There’s just simply no — I don’t have a tangible script to look at.Conceptually, I love it. I love Star Trek. Again, I love the messaging of it. I love the character. I love my friends with whom I get to play. It’s a great gig. I mean, it’s a gig I’ve had, working and not working, for 15-plus years. It cemented the career that I have now. I’m honored to be a part of it. It’s given me so much. I think there are plenty of stories to tell in it. You know, I think Star Trek for me, it’s an interesting one."

So why it does appear that Star Trek has no script, there does seem to be some direction if Pine is getting this type of information. There’s still a lot to be revealed with regard to where the film is going plot-wise, but this is at least a good step in the right direction.