If WandaVisions‘ whopping 23 Emmy nominations weren’t enough cause for the Marvel series director Matt Shakman to celebrate, taking the helm of one of the most beloved and iconic science fiction series around absolutely is. According to a Deadline report, Shakman has made a deal to direct the next Star Trek film for Paramount Studios and J.J. Abrams Bad Robot Productions. With Shakman now on board the Starship Enterprise, it’s reported the project is now being placed on the fast track and should enter production next spring.
In addition to Shakman, writers Lindsey Beer (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider, Captain Marvel) are attached to the project, making it the first Star Trek film to be written by a team of women. However, as of right now it’s still unknown whether or not the cast and crew from the 2009 Star Trek reboot — the likes of which include actors Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana — will be returning to the film, especially considering how much the studio has been struggling with the film. Since Star Trek: Beyond‘s release in 2016, both Quentin Tarantino and Fargo creator Noah Hawley have proposed directions for the series that were soon scrapped. Assuming all goes well this time, we’ll hopefully see the fourth film in the franchise hit theaters sometime in 2023.
In the midst of the film’s brief hiatus, the Star Trek universe has been kept alive through various CBS All Access shows such as Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, all of which have future seasons coming. In addition, Star Trek: Strange New World and an animated children’s series headed to Nickelodeon, Star Trek: Prodigy, are headed to Paramount+ in the near future.
