Having cast doubt upon the likelihood of a Star Trek 4 with his comments just months ago, Zachary Quinto has now issued an assurance that he’s aware of ongoing script work happening for the hoped-for sequel. Quinto – who plays Commander Spock in the J.J. Abrams- led rebooted franchise – has now made clear that, while he has no information to contradict the lack of an official announcement about the film, he does know that things are moving in the right direction.
“If I had [an update] I would give it to you. I’m expecting [the news of a fourth movie] to be true, but it’s always this way. It’s like, ‘Yes, we’re going to do it!’ but then there’s always a process — writing a script being primary among them — and I know that’s what they’re working on now. I think we’re all really excited to go back and we’ll do that whenever the phone rings and it’s J.J. on the other end.”
So, it seems that Star Trek 4 is still very much in the ‘hurry up and wait’ phase of development, while cast member and screenwriter Simon Pegg continues to work on the script. Moreover, in his interview with ET Online, Quinto goes on to rightly point out that the first three franchise instalments were separated by four and three years respectively – meaning that, by those standards, Star Trek 4 is actually right on schedule. While speculation has previously swirled around the fact that the most recent entry in the franchise produced the lowest worldwide box office returns of the rebooted series ($343 million for Star Trek Beyond, compared to $467 million for Star Trek Into Darkness), it seems that this has not deterred Paramount from forging ahead.
In considering the process of development for Star Trek 4, however, it’s also important to remember that screenwriter Simon Pegg (and those with whom he’s working) will need to find a way to respectfully account for and acknowledge the loss of core cast member Anton Yelchin – who played Ensign Pavel Chekov, and tragically died in an accident a month before the release of 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.
Ultimately, though, it seems that patience remains key when it comes to Star Trek 4 – and any other approach would be highly illogical. In the meantime, fans can look forward to the premiere of the new TV spinoff – Star Trek: Discovery – which debuts on CBS on September 24th.