“Star Trek” is going through a strange time right now. The franchise’s TV offerings are going through a period of huge popularity, with not one, not two, but several TV shows ongoing or in development, from “Star Trek: Discovery” to the animated “Lower Decks.” But when it comes to the feature films, things are trickier, as Paramount is rethinking their approach to the franchise and what their next final frontier will be. One thing we do know for sure, Paramount is reportedly pulling the brakes on Noah Hawley‘s take on “Star Trek.”
According to reports from Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, the movie comes as Paramount’s newly-installed Motion Picture Group president Emma Watts is re-assessing the studio’s development slate, and the future of “Star Trek.” There are currently three different movies in development at the studio. One by Quentin Tarantino, one that continues the story introduced in J.J. Abrams‘ reboot from 2009, and Hawley’s take. It seems like the studio is deciding which path will bring the most money before branching out into spin-offs.
According to THR, one possible reason for the film being put on hold is that the film’s plot centers around “a virus that wipes out vast parts of the known universe” which may not sound like the most sensitive subject at the time when we’re still going through our own pandemic. Deadline reports that Hawley’s movie is being considered more as a “Logan” style spin-off for after the franchise gets revitalized again.
Earlier this year, Hawley described his take as being based on “exploration and humanity at its best, and diversity and creative problem-solving” rather than action in and of itself.