Film news: New ‘Star Trek’ film in the works from ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ creative duo
Industry-approved source Deadline has revealed Paramount is boldly going ahead with a new film in the long-running Star Trek franchise.
New actors, characters, and spin from the creative duo behind the recent Dungeons & Dragons film will be crafting this new intergalactic adventure.
Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence can’t wait to be beamed back to the Star Trek film franchise.
A brief history of the ‘Star Trek’ franchise
Star Trek hasn’t been seen on the big screen since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the third film in a trilogy initiated by J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot starring Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Commander Spock.
Beyond didn’t meet box office expectations, grossing approximately $335.7 million worldwide, just 1.8 times its reported $185 million production budget.
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With marketing and distribution considerations taken into account, that means Beyond was considered a bit of a flop, and the Star Trek franchise returned to its spiritual home, the small screen, with several TV series.
Having started on the small screen with the original Star Trek series in 1966, the post-Beyond era saw the likes of Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2024), Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023), Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-2024), Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-2024) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-present) have shown this is a franchise worth mining.
But the question has remained whether another big-screen adventure is on the cards, until now.
A bold new ‘Star Trek’ film
Talks of a fourth Star Trek film in the ‘Kelvin Timeline’ with Pine and co. have whirled for several years, but never really taken off.
Even the likes of Quentin Tarantino have expressed a desire to create a Star Trek film, but the news reported by Deadline is the first concrete plans in nearly a decade.
It should be no surprise, however, given that the recent Paramount Skydance merger by David Ellison has shown a desire for big franchise presence in cinemas.
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A recent earnings call said that the next Star Trek movie wouldn’t be a sequel, but a new story, with new actors and maybe even new characters.
The men behind this new film are Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who recently created a faithful, fun adaptation in Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves as directors, producers and writers.
The duo will perform the same trio of responsibilities on this new Star Trek film.
Why are Goldstein and Daley the perfect choice to make a new Star Trek film?
Goldstein and Daley are the perfect choice to make a new Star Trek film, thanks to their experience in treating several extensive IPs with creativity, humour and quality.
Their Dungeons & Dragons film scored a healthy 91% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences say it “entertainingly blends action, fantasy, and comedy -- all while respecting the source material.”
They’re also responsible for writing Spider-Man: Homecoming, directing the super comedy Game Night.
The through-line in their work is handling strong ensembles, high-concepts and carefully curated plots with aplomb.
Those are the ingredients needed to make a successful Star Trek film, where campy fun with an eclectic, diverse crew being challenged by the fears and foes of outer space is the brief.
This Star Trek film should be well worth watching.
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