Posted in: Movies, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: J.J. Abrams, star trek

Star Trek: Paramount Reportedly Ready to Move On From Kelvin Universe

A new report suggests that Paramount is looking to take Star Trek in a new direction, one that wouldn't include J.J. Abrams' Kelvin universe.

It seems that Paramount might be looking to move on from the Kelvin Universe under the new Skydance era, led by David Ellison. According to a report in Variety, the studio, which was initially trying to get a fourth Star Trek theatrical film, which currently operates independently from the TV side on its streamer brand, Paramount+, is looking to move on from the Kelvin Universe incarnations of The Original Series characters played by Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Simon Pegg, and the late Anton Yelchin. Star Trek: Beyond was released in 2016, following Yelchin's sudden and tragic passing that same year, to which the film was dedicated, along with Leonard Nimoy (Spock Prime), who passed away in 2015.

What Is the Future of the Star Trek Franchise in Film?

The theatrical side of Star Trek was born from the success of Star Wars in 1977, as Paramount, which had initially been in the process of developing a sequel series to NBC's TOS in Phase II, transitioned to 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The TOS films would spawn five sequels throughout the 1980s, with its sixth and final film, 1991's The Undiscovered Country, featuring the cast. With The Next Generation completing its seven-season run in syndication, TOS stars William Shatner, Walter Koenig, and James Doohan passed the torch to the TNG cast for their four films.

Following the underperformance of Nemesis in 2002, the franchise went on hiatus in theaters, and the last vestige of the syndicated-network TV era, Enterprise, ended in 2005 with its cancellation. There was a glimmer of hope with J. J. Abrams introducing the Kelvin Universe in 2009's Star Trek, which operated as a soft reboot with Nimoy operating as that bridge between universes, spawning two sequels, garnering mixed reactions from audiences and critics alike with the panned Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013 and the aforementioned, Beyond.

With the franchise's revival on the TV side in 2017's Discovery, there was direction with multiple shows on Paramount+. Still, the cinematic side remained in limbo, shuffling through multiple writers and directors with the likes of Quentin Tarantino, S.J. Clarkson, Noah Hawley, and Matt Shakman rumored and/or attached before departing the fourth film. The latest creatives attached are director Toby Haynes and writer Seth Grahame-Smith. Writer and producer Simon Kinberg also signed on creatively, with Abrams remaining to produce the project. That may change now if the Kelvin cast is no longer in the picture, especially given the increased production costs, the box office ceiling Trek can't seem to overcome, which is something cast members like Pegg admit is a problem with Trek as a bankable theatrical commodity, and the exponentially higher projected salary demands of the franchise stars, nine years later. My suggestion: Let the Kelvin crew have their final adventure on TV in a live-action crossover, an animated adventure, or a limited series on Paramount+. There's literally no reason why the film and TV side should still be separate.

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