It’s shaping up to be a big day for Matt Shakman. Just this morning, Shakman received an Emmy nomination for his directorial work on Marvel Studios’ WandaVision. Now, Paramount is giving him the keys to one of their biggest franchises. Deadline brings word that Shakman has signed on to direct the next Star Trek film.
According to the report, Shakman has been fielding a lot of offers thanks to WandaVision’s runaway success. But Star Trek is the one project that caught his eye. Although the franchise has thrived on the small screen in recent years, Paramount has struggled to produce a new Star Trek movie ever since Star Trek Beyond hit theaters in 2016. New pitches from Noah Hawley, S.J. Clarkson, and even Quentin Tarantino ultimately stalled. But earlier this year, there was a glimmer of hope when the studio hired Kalinda Vazquez to write her own big screen entry.
Regardless, it sounds like Shakman’s film is separate from all previous incarnations of the script. The new script comes from Lindsey Beer (director of Paramount+’s upcoming Pet Sematary prequel) and Captain Marvel co-writer Geneva Robertson. Additionally, the movie will feature the return of the “Kelvin” timeline cast led by Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. Production is expected to begin next spring with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot producing.
UPDATE: Deadline has removed the part of the story that mentioned Pine and the Kelvin cast by name. There are no cast deals in place.
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Shakman’s directorial work on TV shows including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and You’re the Worst made him an ideal candidate to tackle WandaVision’s sitcom-inspired fever dream. However, he’s proven himself capable of handling action as well. Disney+ subscribers got a glimpse of this when WandaVision released its series finale back in March. Shakman has also helmed episodes of Game of Thrones, The Boys, and FX’s Fargo. He made his feature directorial debut with Cut Bank in 2014.
Are you excited to see what Shakeman brings to the Star Trek universe? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Star Trek Book: Strange New Worlds Boldly Explained (Big Ideas Simply Explained)
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