While the Star Trek franchise is currently thriving on television, its future on the big screen is more uncertain than ever. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fargo creator Noah Hawley’s Trek movie has been put on the back burner.
THR notes there are currently three Star Trek movies in the works at Paramount, including Hawley’s project, Quentin Tarantino’s R-rated Trek movie and a direct sequel to 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. However, the studio’s new motion picture group president Emma Watts is “re-assessing” upcoming projects, with the Hawley movie being one apparent casualty of that process.
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Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic may be a significant factor in the decision to pivot away from the Hawley project. Not because of cost or logistical concerns, but because the plot may hit a little too close to home in 2020. The movie reportedly revolves around a devastating virus that wipes out a significant portion of life in the Trek-verse.
Hawley previously spoke about his Star Trek movie in an interview with Deadline in 2020, indicating he hoped to move forward with the movie after wrapping work on Fargo: Season 4. He also hinted that it would revolve around a new cast rather than bringing back Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and the rest of the Kelvin Timeline Enterprise crew.
Hawley told Deadline, “There’s nothing better than that moment when William Shatner puts on his reading glasses and lowers Khan’s shields. It doesn’t cost anything. But it’s that triumphant feeling about smarting your enemy. For me it’s about to getting to those elements of the show. I don’t necessarily find action in and of itself interesting unless it’s story. So, it’s early days, I’m still talking with Paramount and I have a take and I gotta write a script.”
Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the first time Hawley has become attached to a major Hollywood property, only for that project to be shelved. Hawley previously penned a script for a solo Doctor Doom movie, but that project appears to have been canceled in the wake of the Disney/Fox merger.
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The good news is that fans have plenty of new Trek content to look forward to in the TV realm. Star Trek Discovery: Season 3 is premiering on CBS All Access on October 15, while the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks is off to a strong start. A second animated series dubbed Star Trek: Prodigy will debut on Nickelodeon in 2021.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com Star Trek: Paramount Shelves Fargo Creator's Movie