Despite Star Trek Beyond’s popularity, making Star Trek 4 has been a surprisingly long, difficult process. Released in 2009, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek rebooted the franchise and sparked two sequels: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016). With these theatrically released movies, Star Trek was able to appeal to wider audiences, and there were talks of making Star Trek 4 before Star Trek Beyond even premiered.

However, viewers have had to wait a long time for there to be any progress on Star Trek 4. Only recently have members of the original cast started discussing their return to the Star Trek franchise. Chris Pine, who portrayed James T. Kirk, has already begun talking with Paramount about reprising his role. Meanwhile, other actors, such as Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Karl Urban, are expected to begin negotiating with the studio soon. Additionally, there have been rumors that Chris Hemsworth will return to play George Kirk, James’ father.

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Considering Star Trek Beyond premiered in 2016, even reaching this point in Star Trek 4’s troubled production has clearly been a lengthy undertaking. Many viewers wanted more content immediately after Star Trek Beyond’s release. Unfortunately, the film’s relatively poor box office performance prevented Paramount from making a sequel. However, Star Trek Beyond’s critical success and positive fan reception, coupled with Paramount+’s popular shows suggest that Star Trek 4 should still succeed in the current climate.

Despite ineffective marketing strategies, Star Trek Beyond received positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Released during Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, Star Trek Beyond was an action-packed summer blockbuster that also paid homage to the franchise’s legacy. Due to this, Star Trek Beyond was seen as a rebound after Star Trek Into Darkness. While Star Trek Into Darkness was generally well-received during its initial release, many fans later grew to dislike it later. This meant that Star Trek Beyond had to follow a somewhat divisive film. In contrast, Star Trek Beyond’s popularity established a strong foundation for Star Trek 4 to build upon. This should raise anticipation for Star Trek 4, helping boost its early box office results.

Still, one reason Star Trek 4’s development has taken so long is Star Trek Beyond’s lack of box office success. Faced with Star Trek Into Darkness’ mixed reception, lessened marketing, and competition from other major movie premieres, Star Trek Beyond did not perform as well as either preceding Star Trek films, especially in domestic theaters. In recent years though, Paramount+ has been creating and releasing new, original Star Trek shows for streaming. Series such as Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks have become popular with multiple audiences. With these shows’ success, viewers may be ready for another theatrical Star Trek movie, increasing its box office numbers. Although Star Trek 4 has had to wait several years to start production, now may be the right time to continue Star Trek’s theatrical film series.

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About The Author


Kristen Brown
(83 Articles Published)

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Kristen Brown is a Movies/TV Features Writer for Screen Rant. During the summer of 2021, she completed two development internships with Hollywood production companies, Piller/Segan and Chatrone. Her other writing experience includes self-publishing three YA novels about superheroes, beginning with “The White Dove,” under the pen name K. R. Brown.

Based out of North Carolina, Kristen recently graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a major in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication. Her hobbies include writing, dancing, and acting.

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