Simon Pegg Estimates ‘Star Trek 4’ Will Start Production In Early 2019

Simon Pegg as Scotty - Star Trek

There is a bit more from Simon Pegg while on his promotional tour for Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which opened today. This time the Star Trek actor is giving an estimate on production for the next movie.

S.J. Clarkson brimming with ideas for Star Trek 4

Appearing on Larry King Now, Pegg talked confirmed he will be in the next Star Trek movie, and talked again about meeting with Star Trek 4 director S.J. Clarkson, saying:

Yeah [I’m in the next Star Trek], as long as they want what they call the “Kelvin cast,” the sort of rebooted version of the Shatner era, and I am Scotty, as far as I know. I met the new director, S.J. Clarkson, who is the first female director of a Star Trek film, which is exciting, and she is just brimming with ideas and enthusiasm. I can’t wait to work with her.

When asked about production, Pegg gave his best estimate about when Star Trek 4 would start shooting, saying:

As far I know, we are sort of in soft prep at the moment. I would imagine [starting production] next year at some point, hopefully early next year.

This is a bit more of a detailed estimate on progress for the film than Pegg gave earlier this week. Paramount has yet to set a release date for Star Trek 4, so there are still likely some issues to be worked out, although at least one draft of the script has been reportedly completed and financing partner Skydance has also been reported to be on board.

A film going into production in 2019 would likely indicate a 2020 release, or a four-year gap since Star Trek Beyond, which would be the same gap between 2009’s Star Trek film and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness. All three of the Kelvin-era Star Trek films have been released in the summer and Paramount has yet to announce a live-action tentpole film for the summer of 2020, so it seems like a natural spot for the next Trek movie.

Simon Pegg with the cast and director Justin Lin at UK premiere of Star Trek Beyond on July 12, 2016 in London, England.

 

Watch Pegg talk Star Trek 4

Keep up with all news on both Star Trek 4 and the Tarantino Trek project here.

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Okay!

Wait a minute, so other then Pegg whistling in the wind, there’s no actual evidence this production has progressed beyond anything being reported four months ago? Sorry, but with ‘early 2019’ meaning anything prior to June, and no release date yet, unless they are literally pulling the sets out of Peggs @$$ he knows no more about what’s going on at this point then the guy sweeping Leonard Nimoy Blvd down at Paramount…

LOL. Just relax – there is really no further need to fight against the information that has looked pretty reasonable all along like filming would start early next year. What is with all the angst and insistence from you on fighting this?

I really don’t get yours, Disinvited’s, and Curious Cadet’s insistence that this is so much farther away then we now know it is…and now you are even going so far as claiming that Pegg is probably wrong? Seriously? Pegg just met with the Director a couple of days ago — he’s in the know, and you are not.

Following the developments of this movie through this year, it’s been completely obvious for those of us that can read the tea leaves that this movie will start filming early in 2019..and that means in the first calendar quarter of the year, obviously, because that’s what “early” means. They are obviously targeting a 2020 release…again, as I have been projecting all along.

Hey, we are all wrong on things here now and then. It’s no big deal. Just say, “OK, it looks like I was wrong,” and move on.

Setting aside for the moment that Pegg has some history of being wrong, all you need to produce to shut the naysayers up is some actual evidence that this production is much further along then it actually is – like sets. Not even finished ones, just something in the works. Generally, one of the earliest things that happens on one of these productions are the designers get to work, and the FX house is put under contract. Both are things that the studios didn’t keep secret on previous Trek outings, and there’s no evidence those contracts have been let yet.

As far as the tea leaves go, there is plenty of evidence that Paramount has approached Trek with trepidation, and are only moving ahead with caution, limiting their financial risk. Because all we have at this point is a writers room, a director with a letter of intent, and old contracts on Pine and Quinto. There’s been little heard from Pine, and it sure as hell sounds like Quinto isn’t clearing his calendar yet. We’ll see a movie twelve to eighteen months from the day we agree the production designers are working Trek 4. If they started three months ago, Summer 2020 is spot on. If they start three months from now, early 2021.

How come then none of this slew of bits of information points to this much longer timeline that you are so insistent must be the case? You do realize it’s only July still, and late March 2019, which would be “early next year,” is 8 entire months away, right? That is plenty of time to do pre-production and sets, which I imagine will start in about September/October.

I am just not buying your cautionary tale.

But I will give you this, you do present logical reasons for your conservative assumptions. This is much better than Disinvited inferring the Paramount won’t likely be able to arrange financing (due to their financial troubles) for the movie and indirectly suggesting that the studio possibly won’t be able to afford to release it outside of North America.

BorgKlingon,

Re: Disinvited inferring

That wasn’t my inference. My inference was that they couldn’t pull it all together and put in motion by your January 2019 at the latest deadline without risking that which already happened to them on another production.

We have NEVER claimed that a 4th new Paramount TREK would never be made, only that it wouldn’t begin production in the ridiculously short time frame of your original prediction. Paramount has already rushed a Trek movie through with the results being a box office reduction. They aren’t going to try that again in the current climate. You were being too optimistic.

Good to see that you are apparently moving in the right direction on this with your views and are more open to this moving faster than your earlier posts. Are you ready to also concede now that this movie will most likely get an international release, and that Paramount will not be forced to make it a North America only release due to Paramount’s financial woes?

BorgKlingon,

I think you are confusing me with the bloke who claimed that “no later than January 2019” included dates after.

Nope, no confusion.

Totally agree with being cautious until we see further proof or something official released. (Hell, even with an official release date a film could be canceled.)

However, there were a few of those naysayers here and on other Star Trek boards that were adamant that Beyond was not being made even after pictures were posted of the sets being built. Some pretty far-fetched and laughable excuses were being used to try to prove that Beyond would not be released.

Personally, I enjoy this cast, and would love to see them in a great, break-out Star Trek movie. If it happens great, if not, then life goes on.

“…there were a few of those naysayers here and on other Star Trek boards that were adamant that Beyond was not being made even after pictures were posted of the sets being built. Some pretty far-fetched and laughable excuses were being used to try to prove that Beyond would not be released”

Well said. History seems to be repeating itself?

The biggest flags that Pegg doesn’t actually have concrete knowledge are the whole “as long as they want the Kelvin cast” and “I’m Scotty, as far as I know” comments. Like yeah, he’s having meetings with the director who has “ideas.” But umm wouldn’t you know for sure know by now whether or not you’re in the movie by now?

I think it worth pointing out that it is VERY likely he did not have a Star Trek 4 meeting with Clarkson. It is MORE likely they had a chance meet, had lunch together and among the topics discussed was her upcoming Trek job. Nothing official in any way.

@BorgKlingon,

“They are obviously targeting a 2020 release…again, as I have been projecting all along.”

Comparing it to your Khan predication, do you stand firmly by that release date?

I never said anything regarding Khan being in the movie?

STID

???

pegg pretty plugged into what paramount is up to thanks to his links to trek and the m:i films so if he says it then it must be accurate at this time.

Re: if he says it then it must be accurate

So then Benedict Cumberbatch never played Khan, because that’s what Pegg said?

What’s with the sudden Khan obsession with you and Ahmed?

BorgKlingon,

Certainly not one of mine but definitely a prime mover behind a lot of Bad Robot Trek productions’ actions for good or ill, which is why I mention it.

As for Ahmed, I believe his mention is yet another example of another contributor noticing similarities to MJ’s turns of others’ phrases to tactics of your own, and Khan, or rather THE WRATH OF KHAN, was a particular love/hate obsession of MJ’s.

E X A C T L Y ! ! !

Exactly as I have been saying all along !!!

Cha-Ching! :-)

L@@King 4ward to this one, big-time! Awesome!

ha ha How many times do we need to read the same news?

Summer 2020 is a lock then these films work best in the early summer they have enough time to get it ready for May or Early June. Early May is best though for maximum box office potential. I think this can easily warp past Beyond box office wise due to all the goodwill that excellent movie returned to the franchise.

I think Chris Hemsworth will take it past Beyond. I think *only* Chris Hemsworth will take it past Beyond. I don’t think general audiences care enough about the Kelvin movies to want to go see a fourth if it doesn’t have some sort of marketing angle to win them back. I suppose lack of competition would be good as well. The star power of the cast only continues to grow, but I’m still skeptical people really care about that.

Agreed, 2020 is obviously the target for release.

Pegg did some great work in Fallout!

Hopefully if the next film happens it will be early 2019. I think Paramount wants another film sooner than later.

Agree about Pegg

Hopefully this will be the last Kelvin-timeline film and we’ll get something decent after that…

I can’t help but agree with the hope you’ve set here. Each STino movie comes out with an incredible dose of hope only to see it shredded through the telling of each story. I don’t call it “The Kelvin” anything. So far, in my opinion they should be called “The STino Timeline” (Star Trek In Name Only).

I honestly don’t have much of an issue with the Kelvin films, but that said if they moved on to something new then I would be completely happy about that. I think Beyond’s BO proved just having Kirk and Spock isn’t going to bring instant success and Beyond was also considered a decent film.

But I can’t blame Paramount for trying again, even after that film crashed and burned. THe other two were at least successful if not big hits. So they may consider Beyond a fluke, especially with the bad marketing and PR the movie had.

But if they actually do make another one and it tanks again, my guess is they will move on.

My fear regarding Trek 4 is that since the highest quality film of the 3 did the worst at the box office they may want to lean towards makeing it more like the lowest quality film, STID. That did the best at the B.O.

Next year before they film star trek 4 its will have lots of action and adventure and comedy the crew of the starship enterprise A on the new mission and new villains but its need a title but a release date for summer 2019 plus a teaser poster and will Selena Gomez sing the theme from the fourth movie star trek franchise can do two more star trek movies and join the marvel universe and please three wwe superstars and the next star trek movies and have paramount and wwe studios to create five sci fi movies lives long and prosper

Ah. . . Yeah! What he said.

I know I’ll probably give in and go, but I’m not really excited about this. Yeah, yeah, no info, trailer, they didn’t start production yet, whatever. Based on the last three, I’m just not stoked, and I like Star Trek. I’m actually excited for season two of Discovery, and I didn’t really like season 1. But J.J.-verse has to win some people over right now. Their marketing for Beyond was shit. That teaser with the Sabotage song killed the movie. But the good thing for Trekkies is that we got so much awesome good Old Trek, that I really don’t care.

As a long time Trek fan, I am always on the side of Trek succeeding then failing of course. But I admit I haven’t loved any of the new Trek films and first season of DIS was definitely disappointing for me, especially that awful finale.

And yet every time I hope the NEXT one they knock it out of the park. Which is why I’m more hopeful of DIS season 2 since the trailer has stuff I was hoping we got in season 1 and hope the next film take what they did in Beyond (even if it was still a hyper action movie) and feel more in the vein of Star Trek and not Star Wars. I want to love these projects, especially since they are all we got….for now.

I don’t think the studio has to “win” anyone over. Fans forget, they don’t drive the box office, it’s the masses. And the masses like it. To the masses, the Kelvin Treks are where it’s at. That’s what they’ve been watching every so-many years since 2009. That’s what they’ve streamed on Netflix and amazon. That’s what they bought on DVD and Blu-ray. They know little or nothing about that small pocket of pay-to-view called CBS All Access and they know and care even less about Discovery. JJ Trek is the Star Trek audiences have come to expect. Like I said, with the butts-in-the-seats that really count, there really isn’t any one to “win over”. They’re already there…have been since 2009.

Yes but Beyond bombed Jonboc. So clearly there weren’t as many butts in the seats as the previous two and that probably does worry Paramount and why the VERY slow process of even green lighting the fourth one.

Now I think one is definitely happening but the hesitation is very clear and for good reason. There is no evidence the next one is going to do any better than Beyond did…although there is no proof it will do any worse either. But its now a gamble, that’s obvious. I think a lot of the new fans (masses) of the film first had basically bailed by the time Beyond showed up. There was zero buzz for that film unlike the first two. I don’t think Paramount ever thought they would be here after just three films but they are there.

Now I agree with you I don’t think Discovery is a really big hit either, at least on AA (I would be surprised if more people are watching DIS first season than they were in Enterprise final season), but I suspect on Netflix internationally its doing fairly well. Besides the fact its on a site a lot of people already have, its no commercials which seems to bug so many in America (although they can pay for the option to be removed).

This is just my wild and crazy prediction but I see DIS going 3-4 seasons minimum at this point, especially with Netflix involvement. If the show is a bigger hit for them then they will pump in the money. Again COULD go much longer but I’m guessing unless it make big waves on AA by the fourth season they can cut it if they already have other Trek shows on and four seasons (50+ episodes) will be a decent size library for both AA and Netflix. Tiny for 90s Trek standards but you can’t expect a lot when its only 13 episodes a season.

As for the next Kelvin movie, it really does seem to be do or die time. If the next one is a hit then they will probably go with the Tarantino story. But if its a dud like Beyond I think that franchise is done personally and they will come up with something else later.

How about – instead of spending $200m on the film and who knows how much else for marketing – make a film for £90m like Deadpool or something and if the film makes $360m – you’ve got a huge hit.

Reminder that The Wrath of Khan cost $11m

$11m.

I think that probably is the plan and to make it cheaper. The ironic thing is Beyond WAS suppose to be cheaper. Maybe not by a lot but it wasn’t suppose to be nearly $200 million either. That only happened with all the delay issues after they cancelled Orci’s movie and then rushing to finish it on time for the release.

But yes it could be another reason they are taking their time, they don’t want the same thing to happen.

As for TWOK, yeah it was only $11 million but this was a different time. The first Star Wars film only cost $10 million at the time as well and it was considered one of the most innovative films ever made. Good luck trying to make a Star Wars film for anything under $150 million now. I think since Disney took over they all been at least $200 million. But unlike Star Wars they can afford to be (OK, let’s ignore Solo lol).

2020?

shame they will miss the 40th anniversary of the movie series.

Yeah well that’s five months from now so that was never gonna happen

albatrosity,

Five? It wasn’t released until December. More like sixteen

Doesn’t matter five sixteen point is 2019 is too close to be feasible and since it’ll be a summer tentpole it really has about a year. They’d have to be shooting, like, yesterday.