Simon Pegg Has Heard Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek Movie Idea, Isn’t Sure It’s R-rated

(Photo: Getty Images)

In December it was reported that the Star Trek film project based on a pitch from Quentin Tarantino would be R-Rated, however in a new red carpet interview from today’s Empire Awards, Star Trek actor (and co-writer of Star Trek Beyond) Simon Pegg adds doubt to that previous report.  Talking to Hey U Guys, Pegg said

I don’t think he’s written an R-rated Star Trek script. I think what happened is he went to [Star Trek producer] J.J. [Abrams] with an idea that he has had for a while – I remember he told us about it a long time ago. I think he told me and Edgar [Wright], about it a long time ago. He just put it to J.J. and J.J. is considering putting it into a writing room. We got an email just saying “Guess who came in the office the other day!” So, I don’t know much about it, other than the fact that it is sort of in the mix. So, we will see.

According to the latest reporting from the trades, Abrams and Tarantino have already assembled a writers room for Tarantino’s Star Trek pitch, and tapped Revenant writer Mark L. Smith to write a draft script.

Pegg didn’t offer an opinion on Tarantino’s take on Star Trek, but recently his Trek co-star Karl Urban said it is important to “remain open” to the idea of different take on the franchise, even if that includes the “swearing, more graphic violence or sex” commonly associated with Tarantino’s films. John Cho has also expressed interest, noting he wants to the chance to do “Quentin Tarantino dialog, as Sulu.”

You can watch the full red carpet interview below.

Pegg presents Spielberg’s Lifetime Award

Simon Pegg was at the Empire Awards to present the Legend of Our Lifetime to director Steven Spielberg. Pegg appears in Speilberg’s new film Ready Player One, which opens March 29. Sir Patrick Stewart picked up the same Legend Award at last year’s ceremony.

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Can’t wait to see what Tarentino does with Star Trek.

I have a strong feeling you never will see it.

They had better get something together before all these “young” actors are positively geriatric. Next movie will have Bones giving Kirk another pair of cheaters. And Scotty getting an insulin pump.

Do not ruin the Star Trek legacy. It will be a terrible mistake.

Sorry, Star Trek’s legacy has already been ruined when JJ Abrams got to take the reins back in 2009. Every film since, as well as Discovery has been tainted by his “style” of Trek.

Oh, grow up.

Gene disagrees with you…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oau2DEUCATQ

Just give him the reigns. Idk what these recent Star Trek flicks were…In star trek beyond, I onyly watched the beginning…oh gosh. It cannot come close to the original series.

I miss the days when actual Star Trek fans used to post here.

@Dana Farricker – Please, O Great Trekkie God, tell us exactly what “actual Star Trek fans” are like! Define for us, oh wise one, what a Star Trek fan must say and do to be considered an “actual fan” to you. We await your proclamations from upon high.

Dana final warning for personal attack and gatekeeping. No one here can say who is and is not a fan. There is no right way to be a fan.

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Nice 👍🏿

Beyond is the best Trek movie since at least First Contact.
It’s funny, respectful to the characters, doesn’t hand-hold the audience, has a tight plot and very original actions setpieces.
It’s themes of idealism vs reality, trust vs suspicion, work throughout the movie and it actually features a villain who isn’t just a cardboard cut-out but genuinely believes he’s doing a good thing for Humanity.
Once you start digging deeper into the movie there are a lot of layers and it gets better with each viewing if you allow yourself to see it as more than just “a dumb action flick”.

Which one is your starship?
It’s the one that says Bad Mf…..

I’m sorry, but that name is already given to Sisko’s USS Defiant.

I knew it would not be R rated that would just not work commercially as a main Trek movie. Beyond was excellent. Pegg should get another chance the writing & direction were just fine considering start to finish they had about 20 months.

There are a LOT of things I’d do for an Edgar Wright directed Trek movie co-written with Simon Pegg and Frost.

Spock, would you get me a cornetto?

I agree, “Beyond” had a lot of family feels, and was sweetly funny. There were some stoopid parts [hitting the Tentpole marks], but overall, the Big E went out in glorious style, Uhura did lots of important actiin officer things, there were great character moments, and Jaylah became part of the family.

I just wish we could have seen more of Idris Elba, shame he was buried in tons of makeup.

I have love for all the reboot movies.

This doesn’t read like Pegg is actually refuting the idea of an R-rated Trek. The quote itself in full is saying just that there’s no script yet, which isn’t really news.

Pegg wouldn’t be able to credibly oppose an R-Rated movie. His cornetto trilogy has been R-Rated and it was pretty close to what QT would do within this genre.

I guess Pegg hasn’t got any clue at this point. I personally believe the movie – if ever made – will be R-Rated but I’m afraid Paramount will cease to exist before it’s even made. Their 2018 line-up is pathetic and will most likely reduce them to a minor player along Entertainment Studios or Lionsgate…

Garth Lorca,

Re: Pegg wouldn’t be able to credibly oppose an R-Rated movie.

Because, what? Are you insinuating that the script that he submitted for STAR TREK BEYOND was every bit as R-Rated as his Cornetto Trilogy scripts, i.e. that via Pegg the Trek franchise has already crossed that line as far as the script itself being R?

Garth – Yes, Pegg could very credibly oppose an R-rated movie if the movie in question is Trek, which has never had an R rating. Pegg’s Cornetto trilogy is an entirely different thing. It’s very possible to say comedies can be R-rated but not Trek films, so Pegg absolutely could credibly oppose an R-rated Trek.

Exactly. I can be just as opposed to having an r rated Trek as I am to having a PG13 Game of Thrones. It annoys me that the typical snide response against those who object to R rated Trek is to dismiss them as prudes, it’s all about context.

Well not for nothing, Revenant was absolutely fantastic. Different genre I know, but this script writer has some chops.

I’m very much up for QT’s take on the franchise.

Quentin want s a plot where the Crew of the Enterprise has to fight an enemy that turns children into monster Klingons. Bet on it. DON’T LITTER!

Cho’s point can be loosely translated to wanting dialogue that doesnt suck. Look how excited these actors are at the prospects of working with a REAL writer and not hacks.

Peggy seems very excited to work with a writer better than that hack Pegg?

Is that a serious question?

I made this point when people first began freaking out about it, that just because the scuttlebutt was R rated, doesnt mean it would be in the end. If the story is wonderful and rated R organically, so be it. If a few minor changes makes it PG13, then obviously it makes sense to do so.

They’re already going dark with Trek on television, do we really need that in the movies too? I enjoyed Discovery and am looking forward to season two, but it would be nice to have some new Trek that was not going the same route and kept things a little more hopeful, fun, and positive.

The original series was the best i dont know why they won’t right william shattner into the new movie, they could go back before he was killed

A major reason is that Shatner’s last appearance as Kirk was 25 years ago. He would be almost 90 years old by the time they get a new movie together.

So Pegg read a couple of the dailies and offered up an opinion. Still no news, other then an idea is being fleshed out. Not greenlit, by any stretch of the imagination.

I would like to see Simon Pegg allowed to write a script with lots of comedy in it. I believe he would be able to interject the laughs at the appropriate times. Peggs a great writer and a Treky, so, I think it would work. Lots of episodes of Trek had comedic elements in them. Pegg could just bump it up a notch.

Well he did write Beyond, which IMO had a lot of laughs. And I thought overall it was decent and definitely felt the most ‘Treky’ out of the three films. But I think it didn’t really get the casual fans on board like the first two and the story felt a bit bland. Overall though I think it was good, just not big enough.

And I think because the film didn’t live up to expectations is another reason why he isn’t writing this one. I think they think they need someone with a higher profile to get people interested in the franchise again.

I know I repeat myself but I’m sure the film didn’t Live Up to Expectations because of crappy marketing. No trailer until like a month before, then that trailer got pulled, and so on.

Not the MOVIE’s fault, but that of Paramount marketing division. Dammit Jim

He can write a script anytime he wants to.

Beyond was better in some ways, worse in others.

Pegg stating that this is an idea that Tarantino has had for a longtime makes me think it is going to be an adaptation of Yesterdays Enterprise. This would make sense if they still intend to bring Hemsworth back as we could have the Kelvin brought forward in time preventing Kirk snr from ramming the Narmada resulting in a timeline in which the Federation stands on the verge of collapse after fighting a vicious war against the Romulans. Conceivably this could be used as a means of closing the Kelvin arc by having the Enterprise travel back in time and the crew sacrificing themselves to restore the prime timeline. A move which could potentially make sense if reports that the TV and movie versions of Trek could be getting brought back under the same roof again. I’m encouraged by what Pegg has to say about the movie not necessarily being R rated. Hopefully this means that Tarantino is not going out of his way to make Trek unnecessarily graphic, just that he will be given the freedom to tell the story he wants to tell.

@Corinthian7 — Pegg is talking about an idea he heard about a while back. Who knows what it is now, certainly not Pegg, and it certainly hasn’t progressed very far with Paramount — in other words, it hasn’t even been pitched to them, just an idea being developed by Bad Robot, along with dozens of others, to pitch to Paramount, if there’s even anyone taking meetings there before his overall first look deal with them runs out … or if anyone even wants to get involved with Tarantino given the cloud of accusations hes under.

I really really hope not. I just don’t understand why people want to recycle old stories? STID sort of did that already and look how that turned out? Yesterday Enterprise was a great concept and story and certainly a testament of why Trek can be great, but I don’t need to see it repeated with other ships and characters.

In one of Tarantino’s Trek-related interviews he was musing about turning a TOS episode into a movie by expanding it. That doesn’t disprove your idea about Yesterday’s Enterprise, but his known focus seemed to be on the original series.

thus wiping the previous 3 movies. Possible as can’t see the fans or the general audience (who don’t know what the hell is going on anyway) having much of a problem with that happening.

“Conceivably this could be used as a means of closing the Kelvin arc by having the Enterprise travel back in time and the crew sacrificing themselves to restore the prime timeline.”

This idea is still stupid wistfully thinking nonsense as it was the other 135578964335 times you all kept proposing it. There is no restoring the prime timeline because that still exists. This is an alternate reality and quantum mechanics, why you all have such a hard time getting it? I just can’t believe it is so hard.

I swear it’s like you are jealous of this trek getting its shine and popularity and thus want to destroy it to ostensibly replace it with tos and give you the trek you want, which won’t happen anyway.
Of course you guys aren’t even happy about them doing something new into the prime timeline with discovery. You are obsessed about this restoring the timeline crap.
In the end the names change, but some trek fans still use the same arguments used at the time against TNG. You guys forever resent anything new added to trek that isn’t the sacred, untouchable tos.

The Kelvin Universe IS NOT CANON.

Until it’s made canon, then the classic rules of Star Trek apply — Spock went back in time, and was prevented (likely by Admiral Marcus) from resetting the timeline, thereby overwriting the original timeline established prior to ST09. Whatever Orci was selling off-screen was NOT CANON, and therefore not applicable. And that’s just how it is — assuming canon matters at all.

Will the film get greenlit, a director chosen, cinematographer chosen, shooting date and then the pull the plug like with Orci’s Star Trek 3.

Why not get Jonathan Frakes to at least produce it? He could balance some of the older ideas in with the new.

Because when you’re talking about $200 million+ productions, Frakes doesnt make the short list.

R-rated doesn’t necessitate a ‘dark’ film, though I suppose it depends on one’s definition of dark. If they simply decided to depict any violence in the film a bit more realistically, that could push the film into R-rated territory. I’m guessing Tarantino would be into a more complicated plot, probably involving time-travel or an(other) alternate timeline (the Quentin-verse, if you will). He tends to have quite a bit of reverence for the history of film, so I think whatever story he has come up with will, in some manner, honor what has come before.

@mwz — it could also push the envelope emotionally by dealing with sophisticated adult subjects inappropriate for younger viewers. But isn’t all of that what anti-DISC critics are against? Trek as a dark, gritty, more realistic, adult drama?

Can’t wait! After that absolutely dreadful, lifeless season of Discovery, I need something to shake things up. At least Lost in Space is coming next month, it looks great!

I can think of all kinds of things to say about Discovery, good and bad . . . but “lifeless” isn’t one of them.

And nor does any part of “Lost in Space” looking great c/w Discovery make any kind of sense. That’s just me tho.

@Marja — I’m expecting to be disappointing by LIS. Over the years I’ve discussed with various industry writer/producers how to resurrect it successfully, and this doesn’t seem to look like the way. And I’m really not happy about making the robot an alien creature. Anybody unhappy with DISC should not be happy about this LIS reboot, unless they really don’t care about it anyway.

Nice rug, Pegg. Very Shatnerian.