Paramount Pictures is having a rough couple of years. A lot of their big movies have bombed recently, likeBen-HurandTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, but perhaps the most surprising was the very well-likedStar Trek Beyond. The movie came out over the summer and is now the lowest grossing of the newStar Trekseries, but theJustin Lindirected entry was also the most expensive to make. Before the movie was even released Paramount made it clear they had plans forStar Trek 4. Well, it looks like less than stellar box office performance isn’t going to keep the franchise from boldly going on, becauseSimon Pegghas teased that work has already begun on the fourth installment.
Simon Peggco-wrote the script forStar Trek Beyond, in addition to playing Scotty, so if he is going to writeStar Trek 4as well, he would be one of the first people in on the project. He took to hisTwitteraccount recently to post a picture of himself and hisStar Trek Beyondco-writerDoug Junghard at work on a project of some kind atJ.J. Abrams' Bad Robot production offices. Given the context of the picture, it is hard to imagine this is a tease to anything butStar Trek 4, unlessJ.J. Abramshas roped the duo in for another, completely unrelated project.
Prior to the release ofStar Trek Beyondit was teased thatChris Hemsworthwould be returning to play the father of James Kirk (played byChris Pine) inStar Trek 4. His turn as George Kirk in the firstStar Trekwas actuallyChris Hemsworth’s first feature film role and he made such an impact that it helped land him the role ofThorfor Marvel. All things considered, that worked out pretty well. There is no telling howSimon PeggandDoug Jungwould bring him back into the fold since spoilers he died an epic,tragic deathin the first movie. But,timelinemaneuvering, wormholes and other staples of theStar Trekfranchise could easily make that a reality.
Despite only bringing in $343 million worldwide against a reported $185 million production budget,Star Trek Beyondwas received very well by fans and critics. The movie currently has an 84 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81 percent audience score. In a summer filled with disappointing blockbusters, it is fairly surprising thatStar Trek Beyonddidn’t manage to do better financially. Perhaps Paramount understands that and sees the value inStar Trek 4still. If this picture is any evidence, that certainly appears to be the case.
The prospect of getting to seeChris PineandChris Hemsworthinteract inStar Trek 4is surely enough to get many fans of the franchise excited. Not to mention thatChris Hemsworthhas since become a massive star in his own right, so they could help put butts in seats. Sadly,Anton Yelchinpassed away in a tragic accident following the filming ofStar Trek Beyond, so he wouldn’t be able to return as Chekov, but the producers have made it clear they have no intention of recasting him.Simon PeggandDoug Jungclearly have their work cut out for them, but hopefully this means we will be seeingStar Trek 4happening, and possibly sooner rather than later.
