Based on TOS, it has been 16 years since the theatrical release of the rebooted Star Trek trilogy, which ended with Star Trek Beyond in 2016. With fandom anticipation for Star Trek 4 at an all-time high, according to Trekmovie.com, J.J. Abrams and “Deadpool & Wolverine” producer Simon Kinberg are attached as co-producers with a possible start of production in 2025.
Star Trek 4’s former director, Simon Kinberg, is out and tapped to write and produce a new Star Wars trilogy. Various outlets have reported that Star Trek 4 will be an origin story of 2009’s Star Trek movie instead of a previous Kelvin timeline plot.
Star Trek 4 will be in capable directing and screenwriting hands with Toby Haynes (“Andor” and “Black Mirror” director) and Seth Grahame-Smith (“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” screenwriter). With the Grahame-Smith Star Trek 4 script completed with a possible 2026 release date. Although, there are some uncertainties.
Why there may be challenges for Star Trek 4
The cast members at this point are older and are much more famous and in demand, which may impact production, not to mention the top-line budget of actor salaries. Here are a few examples of why.
Chris Pine (as Captain Kirk), Zachary Quinto (as Commander Spock), Karl Urban (as Dr. ‘Bones’ McCoy), Zoe Saldana (as Lieutenant Uhura), Simon Pegg (as Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott), John Cho (as Sulu) would be portrayed as younger versions of themselves in an origin story. Sadly of course with the death of Anton Yelchin (Chekov) - it has been reported his role will not be recast and handled with dignity in the storyline.
Pine was 29 years old when he started the franchise and he’s 43 years old now and was paid $11.5 Million for his starring role in Dungeons and Dragons, as well as starring in the “Wonder Women” DCU franchise. His Star Trek 4 salary will certainly be well beyond the $6 Million he was paid do "Star Trek Beyond."
Urban is 47 years old, and he’s starred in the “Thor”, "Riddick", and "Lord of the Rings" franchises, as well as the upcoming "Mortal Kombat 2", and the hit TV series “The Boys.” Pegg is 54 and he has been a steady working character actor for years. He is certainly in demand with the “Mission Impossible” franchise and MI8 currently in post-production.
Saldana is 46 years old and is absolutely in demand with her multi-blockbuster franchises, “Avatar” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and "Star Trek", of course. Saldana's recent 2025 Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for “Emilia Perez” will certainly raise her value as an actress. Saldana's $2 million salary for "Star Trek Beyond" will surely be exceeded for "Star Trek 4".
There is still hope for Star Trek 4
Star Trek franchise owners, Paramount Global and Skydance Media need to get moving on Star Trek 4, as its ensemble cast of talented actors either may age out of TOS canon or become too expensive as a collective troop. Nevertheless, there is hope - now that the script for Star Trek 4 is on track with a seasoned director at the helm.
Additionally, the obstacle of getting this very famous, extremely busy, and not getting a younger cast together for filming Star Trek 4 - will certainly be a feat. However, with a creative script, talented director, and the magic of Hollywood it may be possible for this cast to pull off an origin story no more incredulous than beaming onto a starship traveling faster than the speed of light.