The stuck-in-development Star Trek 4 has set a new course to the big screen with a critically acclaimed HBO showrunner.
Variety reports that Paramount has enlisted Steve Yockey to write the fourth and final installment of J.J. Abrams‘ Kelvin timeline series. Yockey is the co-creator of the successful HBO Max series The Flight Attendant, and his previous credits include Supernatural and MTV’s Scream television series. Additionally, Yockey is the showrunner of the upcoming Netflix series Dead Boy Detectives, a spinoff of DC’s The Sandman.
Star Trek 4’s struggles to the big screen
Yockey’s hiring is the latest development in the never-ending saga of Star Trek 4’s struggle to make it to production. Producer Abrams announced the fourth installment before the release of 2016’s Star Trek Beyond with the plan to bring back Chris Hemsworth to play George Kirk. Following Beyond’s box office underperformance, Star Trek 4 suffered numerous setbacks with director changes, script issues, and negotiations with Hemsworth as well as Captain James. T. Kirk actor Chris Pine falling apart. In 2021, Matt Shakman (WandaVision) was announced as the new director for Star Trek 4 with production announced a year later without the Kelvin cast’s knowledge. Shakman eventually departed the sequel to take on director duties for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four reboot.
Despite the false starts, Paramount remains committed to bringing the Star Trek franchise back to theaters. Previous Star Trek 4 writer Lindsey Anderson Beer confirmed that the project was “still on the tracks” before Yockey’s hiring. Additionally, the studio is in early development on a reboot separate from Star Trek 4 by writer Seth Grahame-Smith and director Toby Haynes.
On the small screen, production has wrapped on the Michelle Yeoh-led Star Trek: Section 31 where the Oscar-winning star reprises her role as Philippa Georgiou from the first season of Star Trek: Discovery. The synopsis reads, “Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, [Georgiou] also must face the sins of her past.” Section 31 co-stars Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly Gonzalez, and James Hiroyuki Liao. The Paramount+ exclusive movie does not have a release date.
Star Trek 4 does not have a release date.
