The new head of Paramount Pictures is talking extensively about Star Trek for the first time since taking over the studio in September. Brian Robbins discussed the development of multiple Trek feature films, including an animated feature.
Prodigy inspiring more animated Trek on the small screen… and the big screen
In early 2019 when Star Trek: Prodigy was first announced as a new kids’ animated series for Nickelodeon, Brian Robbins was still heading up Nick for Viacom. To commemorate the launch he and Alex Kurtzman, the executive producer in charge of the Star Trek Television Universe for Paramount+, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the importance of the new series. Robbins revealed even before Kurtzman pitched the show he was already talking to people within CBS to “really try to do something with the franchise and Nickelodeon.”
Robbins confirmed that Prodigy will air on Nickelodeon after the first run on Paramount+. He and Kurtzman both agreed that the goal of the series is to bring in new viewers who will then turn to other franchise content available on Paramount+, with Robbins pointing to that happening now with other Nick productions like the recent Paw Patrol movie.
In response to a question about potential new animated Trek shows for kids, Kurtzman indicated that there have already been “lots of conversations” about how to build on any success Prodigy has. Robbins weighed in, indicating an interest in possible animated Trek movies:
The data is pretty obvious. We’re going to be patient because we think the show is fantastic and creatively just exceeds all expectations. I have no doubt that we’ll be doing more. Alex and I have talked about what the theatrical film version of this show is and the likes of that. We’re really excited. [Nickelodeon animation head] Ramsey [Naito] and our Nick team could not be more thrilled to explore more.
Both Robbins and Kurtzman pointed to the recent Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as a model of the kind of “four-quadrant family movie” they envision for an animated Star Trek feature film.
From Star Trek: Prodigy
Looking at live-action options
In regard to the status of the live-action Star Trek feature films, Robbins told THR:
Where we go with the franchise next theatrically is crucial to the health of the overall franchise. There’s no doubt that big theatrical movies are the beacon that ignite franchises. We’re in it and I don’t really have anything to say because I’m waiting for the development to be delivered. I can’t wait to get going on it, but we’re not there yet but we need to get there soon.
He has a reason for urgency, as the studio has not released a Star Trek film in over five years, but in July, Paramount did stake out June 9, 2023 for the next release. That project has been expected to be based on the one producer J.J. Abrams put together with WandaVisions’s Matt Shakman tapped to direct based on a script co-written by Captain Marvel screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet. THR pressed Robbins to elaborate on his plans for the next film in the franchise:
Is that something that would involve Alex or is that a J.J. Abrams thing?
Robbins: We don’t know enough yet. We’re working on several fronts and obviously Alex is the key for the franchise [on Paramount+]. J.J. has been the keeper of the franchise on the film side. We hope that as a company that we do what’s right for the franchise altogether.
Are you getting scripts for a live-action feature from both camps?
Robbins: There’s a lot going on and I’m just going to leave it at that.
In September, Paramount shifted dates for a number of 2021 and 2022 films, so it would not be surprising if their 2023 slate, including that June Star Trek movie, also moved to later in the calendar.
Chris Pine as James T. Kirk in Star Trek Beyond
Crafting a long-term Trek films plan
The Abrams/Shakman project was developed by Emma Watts, who joined the studio in 2020 and shut down the Noah Hawley Star Trek film which was headed to pre-production at that time. Earlier this year, Watts and Abrams also commissioned a script for a separate Trek film project based on an original idea from Discovery writer Kalinda Vazquez. However, Watts herself has now left Paramount following the September management shakeup that resulted in Robbins taking over.
It’s possible the studio is again taking a moment to rethink things. Robbins did confirm they are taking a long-term view of the film franchise:
The idea is what do we do next for the franchise that’s going to work for the next five and 10 years, not just one movie at a time like Alex has talked about. That’s what we really have to figure out.
However, when asked how far along was this plan, Robbins admitted, “Well, I’ve been in [this] job for seven minutes, so not that far.”
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon head honcho Brian Robbins (Photo: Wall Street Journal)
Find more news and analysis on upcoming Star Trek feature films.
Probably waiting for the new Spiderman, Dr Strange, and The Flash to come out to get audiences ok to the idea of a multiverse movie
Again, they are saying a lot, but when it comes to the movies it does sound like they aren’t really 100% sure of what’s coming next. I hate to be this cynical but I think at this point it’s realistic. I mean how could they still not ‘know enough’ for a film that is supposed to be coming in basically a year and a half? You would think at this point, he would be spouting off filming dates, where its going to be shooting, when the sets are going to be built and most importantly what the casting looks like. Even if he’s not going to give any specifics it just seems like he would be saying more of that kind of thing by now. So yeah, I KNOW a movie will come eventually but I still get the feeling they are not completely sure what direction they will go in and when. So not holding my breath just yet.
But the news they are so confident in Prodigy they could see that show turned into a movie is pretty surprising. Who knows, but the fact they are even discussing it after one episode is saying a lot. No one has remotely mentioned Picard, Lower Decks or Discovery getting a movie. At least not yet. But I think they see how big the branding potential is when it comes to kid movies. And while they didn’t mention it, the biggest potential is the merchandise. That’s what Trek used to be very famous for and they made it clear they want to make it more mainstream with this show and to sell more toys again.
So its great they see what Prodigy could become. Trek NEEDS to expand. Prodigy is the first show directly aimed at not just kids but people truly green to the franchise. They can build out the 24th century mythology more for hardcore fans like us but at the same time still explore what the franchise is all about for newbies who will hopefully want to watch Voyager and the other old shows in the future (which they also mentioned). So hopefully it will appeal to both.
Could. Would. We’re in discussions. We’re talking about…something. This is a ton of chatter that says absolutely nothing. Yes, we know Parmount would like to make another Trek movie, someday. The one thing I got out of this, you can bet the farm, your gold fillings, your 401(k), and an evening with your significant other that the June 2023 date moves. You can’t lose! Feeling adventurous? Double or nothing late 2024, at the very earliest.
It’s just amazing isn’t it? When they announce a show and with the exception of Section 31, they throw everything they can to get those up and running in pre-production within months. We now have five of these puppies since Discovery started. FIVE!!!
On the movie end, they been ‘announcing’ movies since 2016. We have been here discussing every potential project out there and five years later, that’s all everyone is still doing…talking. Just incredible. Maybe the 2023 movie will still happen, but if they are pushing back movies like Top Gun and Mission Impossible, movies actually completed or in production, it gives me less hope this thing is going to show up in 2023 now. But maybe they will surprise us?
BTW, a little off topic but I think you been on this site a looooong time. Due to all the animated shows we are now getting I looked up some of the old articles talking about them including The Final Frontier web project that was being developed in 2006. I read some of the comments and I was shocked to see a ‘Phil’ there discussing it lol. It could be another Phil but have you been here since this site started? That’s a long legacy!
I found the site prior to Trek 2009, found it interesting. Yeah, I’ve been around a bit, a testament to mellowing out a little and not pissing off the moderators.
I found the site I think around 2008 but just lurked for many years. But I always loved reading the the really angry and divisive comments though lol.
And yes, that’s the key to longevity here, don’t piss off the moderators. That’s my golden rule. ;D
The go-go dancer uniforms from TOS really inflamed passions, as I recall.
You know I never liked this trend of announcing release dates beforehand and putting needless pressure on everyone. They should just release the things when they are finished like in the good old days. Its like as humans we are programmed for due dates and we somehow believe that if there isn’t a due date that everyone will slack off or get lazy.
Exactly when were the “good old days”, homeboy? Were the good old days prior to 1979 (42 years ago!) when TMP had an ironclad release date to meet despite the film being rushed and not truly complete?
Actually that’s kind of my point, it didn’t work back then and now its also kinda pointless. They should just release the movies when they are finished. I remember George Lucas used to do this with his Star Wars prequels.
TMP had a lot of anticipation. I know because as a 10 year old I had a lot of interest in it… and then when it finally came out… “it was too expensive.” Anyway, long story for the creation of a need.
Several creatives have said that they “need” deadlines. Otherwise, they will just keep tinkering with details indefinitely. More time doesn’t always mean a better result.
So I guess the question is not whether or not to have deadlines at all, but to set realistic deadlines.
Five TV series currently in production. Why does Trek need to expand?
Lemme guess, they still won’t make a Romulan War film or series. Who wants to bet they wont???
I’m glad they won’t.
That’s kinda right up there with the Han Solo and Buzz Lightyear origon movies that no one wants to see.
Solo was fantastic and dramatically overlooked.
The guy playing Han was terrible, in my opinion. The rest of the cast was good and the story was reasonably interesting. But it never really overcame the casting of a guy who seemed to believe “smirking at the camera” constituted acting.
That Buzz Lightyear movie looks awesome.
“That’s kinda right up there with the Han Solo and Buzz Lightyear origon movies that no one wants to see.”
Solo was fantastic and Buzz Lightyear looks great, and many fans were excited about both. Any time you start to type the phrase “no one wants to see,” you should probably delete those words. They’re almost never true.
I’ve had my fill of the Abrams movies. I hope we get something in the prime universe that doesn’t require motorcycle chase scenes or a slew of CGI action nonsense.
Not seen many blockbusters? They’re dead set on Trek being a tentpole blockbuster franchise at the movies, even tho arguably Trek films need to be smaller fare
They were all soooooo boring.
I know that there is an audience that lives for the action sequences, but without a plot around it, there isn’t much to draw anyone else.
I finally got our teens to watch Star Trek(2006) last year. They didn’t like it and have flatly refused to watch the sequels.
Good for your teens. (Only, it was 2009.)
I really wouldn’t mind one more movie if nothing more than to give them real closure. But at this point, they been gone so long I’m guessing many people have moved on long ago now. They were clearly moving on already by the time Beyond came around or that movie wouldn’t have bombed; especially one that had good reviews and part of a big anniversary.
And I think most fans like you just want them to return to the prime universe. Personally for me, why I liked the Kelvin movies was BECAUSE it was in another universe they can play in and make it their own. I remember by the time Enterprise was done, fans were complaining the prime universe had become too bogged down in too much history and lore and why this was a GOOD thing. But end of the day for most fans it seems prime universe=Star Trek and why they now have five new shows there today. If the movies got more fans onboard we may have at least one show in that universe now as well.
I still think maybe it’s best to just put future movies on Paramount+. Maybe give the films a small run in the theater but with much smaller budgets and can just be for mostly streaming. Oddly enough they could be more creative and produce new characters for the films instead of just relying on TOS or TNG characters or can even mix legacy characters with new ones like they are doing on Picard, LDS and PRO.
Same, I’d be happy with another JJ movie. I’ve learned to accept them as their own thing. The characters and changes aren’t actually all that terrible, it’s just that the movies suffer from awful villains and plots that don’t add up. Beyond was a huge improvement despite the script having been thrown together at the last minute. Imagine how good a script Pegg and co could come up with if given a proper amount of time.
Totally agree as well about moving towards smaller and lower budget movies. TOS had no budget yet amazing writers, talent, and creativity. Unfortunately, they seem to be moving towards creating an expanded universe which means squeezing out as much money as possible.
Paramount+ is committed to one made-for-streaming movie release per month.
If South Park can get two new streaming movies per year, why can’t Paramount+ give us one or two Trek streaming movies that don’t cost hundreds of millions to make?
When Trek starts making South Park money, they likely will.
The problem is: Paramount+ can get a full season of a live-action Trek show for the price that they would realistically have to pay to make a Trek movie. The shows have established a certain production standard. They wouldn’t want the movie to look cheaper than the shows, would they? Sure, you could probably do it for less than what the Kelvin movies cost but I don’t think it’s realistic to make a Trek movie for 50 million these days without it really showing that they went cheap on it. Unless they basically did a Discovery movie or a Strange New Worlds movie, i.e. using existing sets, props, costumes etc.
Also just speaking for myself, I’m more likely to subscribe to a streaming service to watch a full show than I am to just watch one movie. Of course, there might be others who don’t want to invest the time needed to watch a show and would be happier with something you can finish in two hours.
Well I can understand wanting to expand the universe because that’s what every major studio is doing today, especially if they have a streaming site. Its a LOT of competition and they have to compete with all the brands that they have. And unfortunately for Paramount+, Star Trek is the only one they really have to rely on at the moment. When TOS was on the air, it was just another show on a network with so-so ratings. Today, it’s a global brand.
The issue with the movies isn’t just they cost a lot, they were literally some of the most expensive movies Paramount ever made. STID was the second most expensive movie in it’s history at that time. Beyond was the third or fourth by its premiere. The only movies that was costing more than the Kelvin movies were the Transformers movies. Thats what these movies were competing with. And the Transformers movies easily made twice the amount of money.
To be honest, they should’ve cut the budget after the first film since it BARELY broke even, but Hollywood has a different mindset and threw more money at the sequel thinking that would give it bigger B.O. It did, but not Transformers money either.
Paramount+ streaming movies for around $60-70 million won’t give it the same ROI, but they will easily get that back when the site is running worldwide.
I too would like to see at least one more Kelvin movie. In my opinion they wasted an opportunity to engage Star Trek fans in this universe. Partly the reason I believe was due to Star Trek being a divided franchise between television and the other being films. Also fans have always treated Kelvin Star Trek as the redheaded step child. It is like all of the series and the pre Kelvin films are considered Trek and the 3 Kelvin films are not. Now having said all of that, I will state what I have since Beyond. I will believe that there is another movie when I am sitting in the theater watching the post credits scrolling down the screen. We have heard all of this junk before with NO movies ever getting to the pre production stage or beyond(no pun intended).
As I said, a big reason why I liked the films is because they took place in another universe. I thought it was a great idea and can tell some really different stories with it. But yeah they squandered the idea by the second movie and by Beyond it already seemed too late.
And I think most fans certainly liked it at the beginning but I also believe most never truly accepted them being in another universe. There were constantly people saying they wanted the movies to ‘fix’ the timeline when that literally went against the point of the films. Its suppose to be different from the Prime universe because it is. And by Beyond all the hype was gone, the newbies who watched the first two mostly left and it was us old fans that cared again. And a lot of them probably just watched it because it was Star Trek but it was obvious most wanted to go back to the prime timeline.
So I’m not holding my breath the next movie will be based on the Kelvin universe. And its amazing how quiet people like Simon Pegg and Zachary Quinto are because they were always the first to give whatever news they knew about the next movie. And so far, total crickets. So I’m guessing if we get another movie before 2030 it will be different characters and probably back in the prime universe.
Amen to that. Honestly, I’d dearly love more Trek movies that were tonally most similar to Star Trek – The Motion Picture, though I know better than to hold my breath waiting for one.
Absolutely, Blondie-Wan. The Michael Bay-type crap we’ve gotten recently has made me appreciate TMP all the more. I’d so love Christopher Nolan to do a Trek movie.
Nah. Lots of people seem to love Interstellar, but it was incredibly boring in my opinion. Star Trek: The Motionless Picture – The Prequel.
It sounds like not much actually going on. And the years roll by……
Looking forward to the inevitable post in a year’s time where they announce these have all been cancelled and that a totally different movie and script are now is the works.
Spoilers, Kara! Spoilers!!
I’m with you.
In fact, I’m hoping that the contract with Bad Robot for cinematic releases will run out without renewal in 2022.
One has to wonder how much of this mess is due to the contractual straight jacket Paramount got itself into with JJ Abrams before his focus moved on.
“In fact, I’m hoping that the contract with Bad Robot for cinematic releases will run out without renewal in 2022.”
It won’t. It’s already renewed, even though that hasn’t yet been announced.
I can tell you with confidence that these movies, unlike the previous ones, will not be canceled. I work in this industry, and I know people working on these movies. Contracts are signed and preproduction work has begun, even though it hasn’t yet been reported.
So what’s the goal, what’s the gameplan? I want to compare this to the Olympics. As far as franchise building is concerned, Trek needs to come in third. Attention is always on the first three spots: gold, silver and bronze. Disney is lightyears ahead with Marvel (gold) and Star Wars (silver) but it comes down to a tight race for the bronze spot: Star Trek vs DC!
DC has had a lot going on in the last couple of years but they are not invulnerable. Their post Covid-movies have been far from being BO juggernauts, their CW shows have descended to an all-time low and HBO Max is the streaming service that P+ has to challenge. That’s a tough job, given that HBO Max is well above 70 million subscribers and P+ is at 42 million, but it can be done.
Star Trek is so much better than both Marvel and Star Wars, so that’s kind of an absurd comment. Plus, a lot of what DC has put out there, both on the small and large screens, has been crap, whereas CBS has been putting out one hit after another with Trek.
As far as content / time period is concerned, the main series should be set in the post-TMP / pre-TWOK era: Kirk’s second five-year mission! They went from “The Human Adventure is Just Beginning” (TMP) to “you’re so old you need glasses and meet your estranged son” (TWOK). TOS movies 2-6 have been one giant swan song for an elderly crew but the heydays are still untold, lost in time…
This is where I would start again.
Yes!! You could even do this with the Kelvin crew, just have them do the prime universe movie era!!! Admiral Kirk had a second five year mission after TMP. I’d recommend the post-TWOK uniforms, bridge, setes, etc – was sooo good looking!
You mean the Kelvin CAST :-) Yes, why not. They could reintroduce the Primeverse in a Multiverse story first and then continue from there…
As far as uniforms are concerned… I’d like to see a multi-colored version of the monster maroons from TWOK… Same shape and fit but with gold, blue and white uniforms and a black pullunder… That would be the best uniforms EVER…
You’ll never get the entire Kelvin cast, Chris Pine in particular, to participate in a streaming TV show.
Maybe it is just me not following movie news closely but it does not appear to me that he is in as much demand for movies since the Star Trek films. Yes I do know that he is starring in Dungeons and Dragons movie to be released in 2023 but what else has he done except WW84 which basically flopped. I personally did not like the movie and felt that Steve Trevor was portrayed as a weak minded, incompetent male which was vastly different from the first movie.
I’m in sounds good.
I’m someone who watched TOS in first run, but this deep desire to bring back the TOS crew and wedge them in between established canon is a complete head scratcher for me.
I love that the Prime Universe jumped ahead to the TNG era, and now the late 31st century. If there’s anything that I’ve been hankering for it’s the earlier Enterprise under Pike with no Jim Kirk in sight, and now it’s in postproduction.
Sure, I enjoy a good Trek novel that fills in the lost years or extends the TOS missions, but why go back when there is so much more of the universe to build out and explore?
Do you really think the producers aren’t going to introduce Kirk one way or another in SNW? I highly doubt it. He may even appear as early as the end of the first season. They can’t help themselves. Remember they used to say that Enterprise wasn’t going to appear in Discovery, and we saw how that turned out.
Oh yeah we’re definitely getting a Kirk lol. These ate the people who has brought back everyone from Q to GOF and have a Khan descendant on SNW now. I don’t doubt that at all.
And I’m not bothered by it either. JUST as long as it doesn’t turn into TOS. But if we see Kirk being on the Farragut and learn about him more that way, fine.
I been saying forever now, everyone is coming back eventually! Don’t be shocked when Archer shows up some place. Or T’Pol on SNW. You said it, they can’t help themselves. Maybe Sisko will never make an appearance but I’m guessing we will see DS9 characters sooner than later now. As long as they have a good reason to be there, bring in whoever you want, but just do something INTERESTING with them and not just for fan service.
“Or T’Pol on SNW.”
Yeah, I’m sure of THAT. There’s a fun theory that Una Chin-Riley may actually be her granddaughter, We haven’t seen her ears so far and she was portayed cold and emotionless in The Cage. She basically is the origin of all things Vulcan that later became Spock’s trademarks. So it would make a lot of sense to have her quarter Vulcan :-)
There are many details that point in that direction:
She’s related to a legacy character.
We haven’t seen her ears.
Her eyebrows have been retconned the Vulcan way (even more than T’Pol’s in Seasons 1+2 of ENT)
She is a lot more complicated than we might have guessed (quote from the character introduction trailer)
Number One is the origin of Spock’s character.
Blalock has recently made a suprise appearance.
T’Pol being around in that era makes so much more sense than for any other ENT character.
If true, this would also sort of go full circle…
Majel Barret starred as Number One in the Cage and later turned up as a recurring character on TNG: an ancestor of a main character.
Now Blalock, another legacy actress, could play a recurring ancestor of Number One.
The only difference is that Majel played two different characters…
One problem, Vulcans become logical through a learned practice discipline. It is not an inherited trait. Making Una part Vulcan is not going to make her cold, aloof, etc. but quite the opposite. There has to be more to her story than just that.
They’ve already introduced multiple TOS characters, including regulars (“Cadet” Uhura); I doubt they’ll resist the temptation. With the exception of “The Naked Now,” TNG never referenced TOS until “Sarek” — a very, very wise move.
I agree, but TNG did make references to TOS earlier than that. The pilot has McCoy making a cameo, and the next episode was a remake of “The Naked Time.”
To their credit though, it was never a series where Kirk’s third cousin’s descendant, also named James Kirk, was a main character.
Dude once again we fully agree!
I’ve always said this, I grew up with TOS, I adore it, but I just never understood this desire to keep trying to bring it back? I’ve never had a desire for it. Once they were done in the movies with TUC, I accepted that was it. They had 25 years, got great closure and I was ready to move on with new things; which thankfully we got. I could understand if the show got canceled as it did and we never got the movies after that because it wouldn’t have felt complete. But we did.
Now, to be clear, I’m not saying I didn’t ever want to see the TOS characters again. I always loved when one popped up on TNG, etc and I am happy to see Uhura and Chapel back in SNW. I just don’t need a repeat of TOS itself. I feel the same way about TNG, DS9, VOY, etc. They ALL had their time. You can still use the characters themselves when its appropriate, but the universe should be pushing forward IMO with them growing and changing like what they did with the TNG characters in Picard.
I know some people read my posts and it sounds like I’m contradicting myself by saying I don’t want to see old stories or shows but happy to see all the characters from them come back. But that’s because we are getting new angles and insights with those characters at least. We saw Spock grow from first officer to Captain to an Ambassador because the universe itself kept growing and aging. I don’t want to see Spock still First Officer on the Enterprise 20 years later. That would bore me (but I’ll still watch ;)).
At least with SNW, we are seeing a different side of him before the ‘TOS’ Spock showed up so I can live with that and that wouldn’t have been my first choice either.
I have to disagree. Even though I grew up in the heydays of TNG’s success, I’ve always felt that bringing back TOS had been my greatest desire.
In a way, TNG was TOS reborn as it had evolved out of the Phase II character concepts (Riker / Decker, Troi / Ilia, Data / Xon) so it’s closest to TOS and the only show that even is a part of that primary “tier” of Trek in my book.
All the other spin offs are great additions to the overall franchise but they are secondary. SNW is the first spin-off since 1987 that could make it to “tier one”…
Up until 1987 and 1993, it was NOT set in stone that this franchise would progress with ongoing spin-offs. It could have gone the more “conventional” way of rebooting its way through the decades, just like Superman, Batman or Spider-Man.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m GLAD they went for that expanded continuity but I still believe we need to have BOTH: more spin-offs at the edge of the universe and a core mythology based on TOS at the very center of things.
There are many things they could do to expand upon that very core of Star Trek: finishing the original five-year mission, giving us Admiral Kirk’s second five-year mission and / or more adventures in between TFF and TUC. They may even create a prequel to SNW about Robert April…and yeah, the Kirk / Spock Academy years (not my favourite idea!)…
I think Trek can do both: more classic era Trek and spin-offs all over time and space…
All I will say is we DID get a TOS reboot. It’s called the Kelvin movies. And we can see how loved those are today lol. But yes, I know since technically its not the ‘same’ characters its different. But end of the day, its just suppose to be a TOS reboot, they just gave a clever in-universe explanation of it. Although I have said in this thread I really like how they did it, I also have to admit it may have just been better to be a straight up reboot and just did whatever they wanted. And we wouldn’t have so much anger over characters like Khan in STID. Because in a straight reboot you can change whatever you want.
But now that we have those, its even less of a reason to do yet ANOTHER TOS show. But don’t get me wrong, I know eventually another one will happen. And that’s OK, I just don’t have a personal drive to see it, but I know others do. That said, since I’m very excited about SNW and they do a good job with those characters then sure I can certainly get more interested down the line. I never cared about seeing Pike again but now that we have him, its exciting. But he was also just in one episode, so its very different.
“In a way, TNG was TOS reborn as it had evolved out of the Phase II character concepts (Riker / Decker, Troi / Ilia, Data / Xon) so it’s closest to TOS and the only show that even is a part of that primary “tier” of Trek in my book.”
And that’s fine. That’s still NEW characters lol. I don’t care they emulated other characters like Decker and Llia because thats how most franchises work. Rey is just a female version of Luke in Star Wars. And TNG was the first spin off. I was just thankful Picard wasn’t Kirk’s great great grand son or Riker a cousin of Scotty. They could’ve EASILY went that direction since TNG was so new and gave us cringy fan service like making a character someone’s sibling. ;) And they weren’t part of TOS. I’m only saying is I don’t want a redo of the original show itself. If they came up with other characters or settings in the TOS era, that’s completely different just like DS9 and VOY were new characters and settings in the TNG era and not just spin off show about Riker on a new ship.
But I wouldn’t mind seeing stuff like a Saavik spin off show and even suggested they could make her captain of her own ship in the post-TUC era. I even made a thread about it Reddit a few years back. Because Saavik is still a character we know little to nothing about. She was in two movies basically and very popular. I think Discovery also could’ve stayed in the 23rd century, but it probably would’ve worked much better as a post-TOS show and not a pre one. In fact, they still could’ve had Spock be Burnham’s sister and all of that but it would’ve been in an era where things would be much more freer and could’ve looked a bit more different without so many complaints. It may have even worked if the show was during the Enterprise second 5 year mission and we got those characters in a different light if they showed up. But that’s all moot now.
But I don’t need more extensions of Kirk. We know all about that guy at this point. But I’m more than sure he will show up again sooner than later anyway. ;)
Now that you mention it I think making Saavik related to Burnham might have been a better way to go for Discovery. A known character but not as known as Spock and there would have been less backlash and we would have learned much more about Saavik in the process as well instead of rehashing Spock.
The Kelvin cast is great, the plots weren’t too bad but they didn’t break from the formula of action Trek. And every single one being a space revenge movie didn’t help. The one thing i wish could be fixed are the lens flares. Absolutely awful and have aged like spoiled milk. I wish there was a way to reduce them so i could actually appreciate the cinematography, or actually see what is going on in a scene, appreciate the set design etc.
Far be it for me to say “I told you so”…..again.
All this chatter, loosely translated, we’d like to make Trek movies in the future. Yeah, we know that.
Take Strange New Worlds and Prodigy movies please!!!!!
Or do Kelvin crew Star Trek movie era movies (ignore the Kelvin movies) that take place after Star Trek TMP (but after the red uniform roll out). Easily the best looking of the eras.
Or do a Strange New Worlds movie that transitions into the Kirk era.
Take Prodigy and do some Lord of the Rings type series with the Federation as just some other faction. Have the Prodigy series set up a new smaller Federation that they are part of.
So nothing basically it was obvious when no casting news after the 2023 release date announcement in the summer. They want out of Bad Robot Trek for financial reasons but at the same time have no other viable option to continue with the Kelvin Crew otherwise you are talking $50-75M in new starship & new crew setup onscreen costs. Keep Kurtzman well away from the movies his Trek flavour makes the Berman years look good!!!!!!
That’s a good thought that they want out of Bad Robot. In a way, the JJ Verse is like fan fiction. Trek hasn’t been real since Enterprise. If you crossed Prodigy with Lower Decks maybe you would have a decent animated series. Would an animated movie have to be based on Prodigy? I just thought they were happy with what potential Prodigy showed, not that an animated movie would be Prodigy.
A series between TMP and TWOK would be cool, use the maroon uniforms. It could lead up to Spock taking over as Captain.
It might not be popular, but a series showing Scotty working up the ranks and learning to be a miracle worker would be cool. Give us a mini-series or limited series at least!
Mini series to fill in between seasons would be even better than short treks! You could give us a run with Captain Sulu and the Excelsior. It makes some fans happy and if it’s really good it leads to a series.
In a way, the JJ Verse is like fan fiction. Trek hasn’t been real since Enterprise.
*Precisely*. Until ENT, Star Trek felt — more or less — like a “history of the future.” Under Abrams/Kurtzman, it feels like a paean to nostalgia: fan service, if you will. The only real exception is PICARD, which I (some obviously disagree) think did advance the narrative; I credit that to Stewart and Chabon.
Agreed, that’s a good way to describe how it has felt and should be. Picard is that way to an extent, however with Picard I only liked some aspects, I could never accept that the Federation would go that dark or that Picard would leave Starfleet like he did. I also find the whole Soong family story extremely boring. I found the Romulan aspects interesting. As much as I like Data and Spiner, I never want to see another member of his family again.
I’d really like a Star Trek: The Third Generation set 25 years after VOY.
Let’s see NCC-1701-F and what happened after the Dominion War.
I’d like to see YOUR adventures first :-)
Seriously, a Third Generation would be fine with me: an Orville set in the Trek universe’s 25th century…
But I could also imagine some closer ties to the TNG era: Miral Paris, Kirayoshi O’Brien, Kestra Riker, the next Dax or an earlier Tal host…
And Naomi Wildman
Nah, not a new Dax. Nicole DeBoer is only 50 after all. She could easily still be around another 40 years.
The Berman years were good. He was in charge during DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, and a good chunk of TNG. That was Trek’s golden age.
Well, he started out very well taking over for the ailing GR, and I applaud his early TNG years and DS9 which in many ways re-invented Trek for the ’90s. But he also oversaw Trek’s decline and fall and waited far too long (not until Enterprise Season 4 when it was too late) to do anything about it (bringing in Manny Coto with some fresh ideas). And his last contribution to Trek lore was ENT’s finale These Are The Voyages which he had the nerve to call “a valentine to the fans” (it felt more like a middle finger to Enterprise fans). So, the Berman years are definitely a mixed bag to me.
The late Berman era was just like the coinciding Star Wars PT… once loathed, now rehabilitated by even more controversial productions..
In 20 years from now, DSC and PIC will be regarded classic golden age Trek I guess :-)
The funniest point of criticism towards ENT was “oh, they just recycled an old TNG or VOY plot”… Yeah, true, but TOS did that from day one, within one and the same show…
There are basically only 7-8 TOS plot patters that are reused time and again: time travel, parallel Earths, non-corporeal energy creatures taking over people, super computers running amok, alien diseases, superbrains with illusionary powers, weird clouds and regions of space and some early space battles with Romulans and superships. There are only a handful of other plots…
True, but there are things Enterprise could have done very, very differently. It was clear by late Voyager that audiences were getting burned out on Planet Of The Week (or Spatial Anomaly Of The Week, what have you) storylines and it was time for a change. So Enterprise really should have been much more Birth of the Federation, a lot more political intrigue, early and frequent hints that the Romulans were trying to thwart the founding of any Federation. The Grumpy Vulcans should have been explained to the audience as because they knew who the Romulans really were and were trying to prevent Earth (and Andoria, etc.) from learning this embarrassing secret. Enterprise should have started with an all-human crew, and only added a Vulcan later on as the threat from the Romulans grows and Starfleet admits it needs help. And the loyalty of that Vulcan should have been kept vague for a season or more.
Instead Enterprise gave us Temporal Cold War silliness which never really made any sense whatsoever. Grumpy Vulcans who were grumpy because, well, that was never really clear (they didn’t think Earth was ready, but that still doesn’t explain their behavior very well.) We got more Planet of the Week with races we’d never heard of, although they did finally give us first contact with a planet we knew about, in the three-episode Risa arc at the end of Season 1.
Enterprise didn’t have to follow the TNG/VOY model, but with a few exceptions it usually did.
“The late Berman era was just like the coinciding Star Wars PT… once loathed, now rehabilitated by even more controversial productions..”
LOL, so true! It is funny how a bit of time and nostalgia can mend things. Even me, I wasn’t as harsh on Enterprise as the others but I didn’t really think I could ever fall in love with the show. Today, it’s really the only old show I want to see another season with because it was just getting started IMO. I did a grand rewatch of the franchise and I started with Enterprise. I really had so much fun watching that show! But I still think Nemesis really sucks though. ;)
“In 20 years from now, DSC and PIC will be regarded classic golden age Trek I guess :-)”
Honestly I don’t think it will take that long. People WANT to love Picard, it just dropped the ball in its first season for many. If second season is improved, fans will jump right on it. Picard is the first Trek show that already has an iconic and legacy character leading it, so right there people are hoping to love it because they love Picard so much as a character. Why they named the show after him.
Discovery is a little more complicated but I think if the show improves more people will accept it like the old shows. I don’t think this is a DS9 situation where fans didn’t really appreciate what it was trying to do, I just think it hasn’t been very good in terms of telling its stories. But I do feel every season got stronger than the last. If the show makes it to the 5th season at least, they have two more to really excite people.
But fandom is really funny. There was a time some fans wanted to forget ALL the old stuff and start anew with the Kelvin movies. Now that has changed and in many ways all the new shows are now propping up the old ones bringing back a lot of old characters and settings while the Kelvin movies can’t even get a shout out at official Star Trek events these days.
So yeah in the next 20 years who knows? We may be getting a Star Trek: Burnham show in the 33rd century and the fans will be going wild for it. ;)
The prequels are only bad in that Lucas didn’t bother to adhere to the canon of the original trilogy. He made up a bunch of stuff that didn’t fit the world he had established. Characters acted differently than how they were supposed to etc. The retcons went too far and weren’t believable. No matter how many times he edited the originals to fit the prequels, they still don’t fit together as one story.
Your father was captain of a franchise for…seven minutes. He saved 800 jobs, including the director’s, and yours. I dare you to do better.
I see what you did there…
Riverside shipyard. Shuttle for new scriptwriters leaves at 0700.
Robbins ain’t giving away his motorcycle for this.
Jeff Nichols is taking the next Chris Pine-led assignment. Very exciting.
You know I think Star Trek needs to start going more towards the miniseries route. Maybe something for Paramount+. It could be like an anthology of miniseries set in different eras or from the points of view of different alien species.(A chance to see that Michael Dorn pitch as well)
But if they want to continue with the big-screen movies I think they need to get a guy like Denis Villeneuve, a very visual and cerebral director. I mean the guy did Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and now Dune and yeah he is busy with Dune these days, but I see him kinda like a mixture of Robert Wise and Nick Meyer and he’d make an excellent more philosophical Trek.
Agree with you completely.
Made-for-streaming movies and limited series should be a priority.
For the cinematic releases, I believe the franchise should move away from the kind of tentpole movies that are mostly just long boring action sequences and have a bit more cerebral ambition to go with the high production values.
Denis Villeneuve has shown he can deliver both. He understands the genre and also could deliver a Trek Movie that would attract more than North American audiences.
Let’s face it: Trek’s biggest barrier to profitability is that it pitches itself too much as an American product, IDIC notwithstanding. It just doesn’t have the same uptake outside North America that SW and Disney do.
While generally I have a lot of respect for Kurtzman on strategic thinking, he seems to really have a blind spot on this. More, it seems to be a ViacomCBS and Paramount problem generally.
If they want to continue to be successful as a content producer, targeting the broader global market has got to influence some of their creative choices.
Agreed, in fact I live in another country and I know exactly what you mean :))
Brian Robbins looks like a S31 agent.
Department of Temporal Investigations… I’m sure of it!
Brian Robbins sure has come a long way since “Head of the Class”!
I didn’t make the connection, but I remember that!
It sometimes feels like it will be the actual 23rd century before they make a decision and follow it through on the film front.
I’ve lost track of how many false starts and directors and scripts that have literally slipped through the producers hands and also how many studio heads have been shuffled like deck chairs on the Titanic. If it wasn’t for the CBS shows i would think it was a dead franchise which they wouldn’t admit was post mortem.
From the subtext of the Hollywood Reporter interview it sounds like the previously announced 2023 movie might be cancelled. If that is the case it will be at least the fifth Trek movie project announced as in development or happening since Beyond in 2016.
I believe we are at 9 reported movies (and who knows how many unreported ones):
July 2016 – JD Payne/Patrick McKay/SJ Clarkson (Chris Hemsworth return)
June 2017 – Nicholas Meyer (Wrath of Khan director, “fun” project, new characters)
September 2017 – Quentin Tarantino/Mark L Smith
March 2018 – Simon Pegg/Doug Jung (Beyond writers)
March 2018 – Mystery unnamed script mentioned by Zachery Quinto
November 2019 – Noah Hawley (Fargo writer, deadly virus story)
March 2021 – Kalinda Vazquez (Discovery writer)
April 2021 – Matt Shakman/Geneva Robertson-Dwore (WandaVision and Captain Marvel writers)
October 2021 – Alex Kurtzman (animated)
JJ Abrams is/was attached to produce a bunch of them.
Actually two of those are not true. Nicolas Meyer said his project was supposed to be a mini-series for All Access at the time. I can’t remember how long it was supposed to be, but I think 4-6 episodes. But it was not a movie.
And Simon Pegg stated awhile ago the project he and Doug Jung started on had nothing to do with Star Trek. It was going to be an original movie they wanted to write together since they clearly had a great experience working together on Beyond. Oddly we never heard about it again. I wonder if they are still working on it?
Never heard of the Quinto project until now, so very in the dark with that one. Can anyone elaborate on what it is or was?
I used what was reported on this site and not what was officially announced:
Meyer’s project possibly being a film:
https://trekmovie.com/2017/06/02/exclusive-nicholas-meyer-talks-star-trek-discoverys-niche-and-hints-at-another-star-trek-project-2/
Mystery ZQ script:
https://trekmovie.com/2018/03/31/zachary-quinto-says-potentially-three-different-star-trek-scripts-are-in-the-works/
Seems there was only vague speculation about the Pegg/Jung script but Pegg did feel the need to clarify it wasn’t the case:
https://trekmovie.com/2018/04/04/simon-pegg-clarifies-he-is-not-writing-third-star-trek-4-script/
Even if we take out the Meyer and Pegg/Jung scripts, that leaves 7 which is still ridiculous.
OK, but that Meyer article is super old. He clarified himself a few times since it was suppose to just be a mini-series on All Access. In fact I went back and found it and I was wrong too. It was only suppose to be a 3 hour miniseries. I said 4-6 hours.
Zachery Quinto was referring to the Pegg/Jung script which he thought had something to do with Star Trek. And its understandable, most of us assumed that too until Pegg himself clarified it wasn’t.
I’m not trying to ruin your great post, I’m just a stickler when it comes to this stuff. That’s still 6 confirmed projects although with Prodigy it sounds like something they are thinking about doing down the line. No one is working on any scripts yet. It’s been one episode lol. I’m surprised they even mentioned it this soon.
And yes there could be more movie scripts out there too they never mentioned publicly.
Are they making a 4th Kelvin Timeline movie. Why are they being so secretive over the casting, the budget or story for a proposed 14th feature film. Is it because they don’t know what JJ is up to or how to get everyone’s schedules in sync. Or is it dead Jim. They haven’t moved off the dime since 2016.
Same old problem how much they want to pay the cast vs how much the cast want or their contract states they get in Chris Pine’s case! When they announce a new movie but no cast its clear the stumbling block is the old same old $$$ factor so no warp factor to production! New cast means new ship adds $50-75M to the budget as they have to film setup scenes to introduce the characters but Paramount seem to want a low financial risk movie but not pay the going rate to achieve that!
A. Where are you getting a new cast and ship would equal that much?? If they got a new cast, wouldn’t it be waaaay cheaper unless they are getting bigger stars in it?
B. They destroyed the ship in the last movie. They will be building new ship sets one way or the other.
C. If they want a low risk film, that’s probably why they may have to start completely over if they don’t even want to pay Pine what they promised him.
My guess is because they are still debating about even going forward with the next movie. I wouldn’t be shocked if its moved to 2024 if we hear nothing by the end of this year. That would make it an 8 year gap between films which would be nuts. I still think they really don’t know what direction they want to take the next movies in. A lot of ideas, but nothing that is a home run. I been saying this since 2018 now.
Kara’s excellent comment slightly upthread is a startling summary of the number of times these “new movie projects” have been publicly announced. Apparently it’s been 9 times so far. Astonishing.
I agree that they don’t seem to be sure what to do storywise. If they want to go in a “universe expanding” direction with multiple movies etc like the Disney/Star Wars and Marvel/DC stuff, fine. But as I’ve said before, the key to potentially hitting a home run with Star Trek isn’t to try to blindly copy most of the recent Star Wars stuff but to differentiate Trek from SW by taking Trek in a completely different direction in terms of storylines and the general “vibe” of the films. So you need directors who understand that and will hopefully be able to do the subject justice. Fargo’s Noah Hawley would actually have been a really good choice, but they need to at least informally begin discussions with someone like Denis Villeneuve, Christopher Nolan or Rogue One’s Gareth Edwards. Since this is sci-fi, those 3 guys are my top choices, but there are obviously other options beyond that if Paramount are willing to seriously consider directors from other genres too.
Semi-off-topic: I recently saw the Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges movie “Hell or High Water”. Strongly recommended to you and everyone else here. It’s basically a modern Western and turned out to be surprisingly good. Different to what I’d expected — definitely a lot more philosophical and sophisticated. Bridges is as grizzled and charming as always, but Pine is quite a revelation. He manages to hold his own against Bridges and has real gravitas in this film — as in “future Bruce Greenwood” gravitas. I’m not kidding. Pine’s acting abilities and on-screen presence are maturing very well. Anyway, both the film and Pine were pleasant surprises, so check it out if it sounds interesting to you.
That is an *Excellent* film. Have watched it many times. Glad you liked it.
I think they are thinking long term and just like all the previous movie franchisees (TOS, TNG, KEL), they are probably looking for something that can set up sequels going forward. I think that was partly the issue with Tarantino’s idea (one of many) and that it sounded like a one-off movie and studios don’t think that way for their franchises anymore. I have a feeling Hawley film could set up more movies, but they may have been afraid since it was new characters and it may not hook people as fast. Strictly my speculation of course.
I have said I really want to see something totally different and new. I think most Trek fans do. But that’s the problem, they are afraid of taking another big leap. The Kelvin films took a leap but played it safe at the same time. They essentially rebooted the universe but with the TOS characters so it would still feel familiar to old fans. And it worked…for two movies lol. But I think Beyond really blew the wind out of their sails and they are afraid to go big again. I don’t mean just budget (although that’s obviously a big issue) but just thinking outside the box in general. As said they had so many ideas already and yet NONE of them got passed the script stage except for the Hemsworth movie and that was obviously a money issue.
And I can’t really blame them. We’re fans, we just want another movie. And if you’re reading this now, you are probably the type that will show up for it no matter what. But everyone else is a big question mark. And Paramount is not exactly Disney these days and Star Trek films has never been runaway hits, mostly just dependable profit makers; but with a limited budget and iconic characters at that. I would love to see someone like Nolan or Villeneuve make a Trek film, but I don’t think they are going to give them the budgets they want or they may not have the freedom to just make whatever they want, which is the other issue in general when working with a long time franchise.
As for Hell or Highwater, I’ve seen it three times now lol. Every time it shows up on cable, I just end up watching it. Yeah great film and it was nice to see Pine show he can do real drama.
Hell or High Water is among some of Pines best work. Personally, I also enjoyed Outlaw King, but I do recognize there are mixed feelings about that production. I’m not a huge fan of superhero movies, but Pine and Gadot seems to have really good chemistry together.
Despite the bleating’s of some of Trek fandom here, Pine isn’t hurting for work.
I just hope the won’t again switch CEO’s before a Trek Movie is shot qnd released, as every new CEO tends to pivot in qnother direction.
Good point.
Hopefully, we are seeing the senior executive team at ViacomCBS that will be leading it for the next 5 years.
It’s no surprise however that there were major changes given the resistance to the merger and the bad HR a practices of the CBS CEO Moonves. More, the Paramount side senior leaders were quite backward looking and narrow.
That just set up for a situation where the majority owner had put in a CEO ago help with the first pass restructuring and then change again when to the right strategic leadership for the long haul.
Crossover movie with Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, and Prodigy is a must!
I would think discovery being part of it would be hard due it were in the timeline it is the 32nd century way way way far in the future from the other shows are in the timeline in the 23rd and 24th centuries and it might be a bit hard to translate the two animated series into live action lower decks would be slightly eaiser of the two due to the number of human more human and human like Aka dr t’Anna crew members
I would love a picard and lower decks crossover movie and maybe strange new worlds and section 31 crossover movie
A must what? Must avoid?
Overall worldwide gross for that movie – $67.5m