Fans of the J.J. Abrams’ produced Star Trek have been waiting on news of the next installment in the franchise since the release of 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. News broke yesterday that the next installment is a go and will begin filming before the end of 2022. Plot details have not been revealed yet, and the main cast has not yet officially agreed to return to the franchise.
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The J.J. Abrams’ led installment will be directed by Matt Shakman, director of WandaVision and Game of Thrones, and co-written by Lindsey Beer (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel), and original Star Trek writer Gene Roddenberry. The previous installments of the Abrams’ Star Trek franchise were very successful, each earning at least an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. With the talents of Abrams, Shakman, and the heavyweight cast, the next installment is also set up for such success. Although many of the main cast are only rumored to be involved at the moment, it seems a given that the cast will return for the fourth film in the series. While not much is known about the specifics of the latest installment, recent trends indicate audiences are still open to exploring the Star Trek universe after a six-year hiatus of the adaptation. Deadline first reported on Star Trek 4’s production start.
Fans of the Abrams adaptation were met with disappointment last month when Simon Pegg (Scotty) shared he was anticipating news of the next installment just as fans of the franchise had been. At that time, Pegg shared that he’d reached out to Abrams and was told he was “waiting for news.” Yesterday’s announcement of a new episode in the franchise is an exciting one that fans of the series have long-awaited. Though the Abrams Star Trek stories have been on hold, that does not mean other Star Trek related projects have not been available.
The recent success of other Star Trek-related series on Paramount Plus will work in the latest installments favor, ensuring fans of the iconic series are still hungry for fresh new stories involving their favorite space explorers. Picard, starring Star Trek alum Patrick Stewart, has been renewed for a second season and will premiere on Paramount Plus on March 3, 2022.
Star Trek: Discovery is also achieving success, currently in its fourth season on Paramount Plus. The iconic stories of going where no man has gone before obviously still resonate with audiences, and it will be interesting to see where the talents of Shakman and Abrams take them this time.
Star Trek 4 will begin production later this year and has not revealed a release date.
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Source: Deadline
