If anyone is experienced enough to helm the next Star Trek movie, it’s Jonathan Frakes.
And when Star Trek 4 lost Matt Shakman as the director, the star of Star Trek: The Next Generation and prolific director of Star Trek television, reached out to J.J. Abrams to tell him if he needed an experienced guy to take over, that he was available. Abrams simply acknowledged that Frakes was experienced. But Frakes doesn’t think that directing the next Star Trek movie is something that will ever happen. In fact, in a recent Trekmovie interview, he admitted that movies were tough right now.
With the proliferation of Star Trek series on Paramount+ and others in the works, it’s no wonder Frakes thinks TV is the future of Trek, especially since the fourth movie seems to have crashed and burned. Since it has been removed from Paramount’s schedule, there has been nothing but silence as to whether it will actually get off the ground again.
Jonathan Frakes doesn’t think he’ll be directing the next Star Trek movie.
But if one were to be made, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be behind the camera. He continues to direct Star Trek television, with two episodes of the upcoming third season of Star Trek: Picard, one for Star Trek: Discovery’s fifth season, and the upcoming Strange New Worlds/Lower Decks crossover episode. And he knows what Star Trek is about which certainly makes more sense than having someone unfamiliar with the franchise sitting behind the camera.
Still, with Paramount mum on the future of Star Trek 4 and production for Section 31 supposedly ramping up, it looks like Frakes knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the future of Trek. And he’s already said he wants to be involved with the next series, both in front and behind the camera, and he hopes season three of Picard will lead to yet another series. So even if we can’t get a Star Trek 4, we’ll have plenty of Trek to keep us entertained.