Chris Pine has revealed a perfect plan for Star Trek 4 and beyond, but it's unlikely to ever happen. The long-delayed follow-up to Star Trek: Beyond was recently removed from Paramount's release schedule, with no indication of when theater audiences can expect to see another adventure for the Kelvin Timeline crew.
Reflecting on the state of the project in an interview with Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline, when he suggested that they should make: "the movie for a good price and going on our merry way, instead of trying to compete with the Marvels of the world." In recognizing that Star Trek as a franchise isn't built to do the billion-dollar business of a Marvel movie, Pine is keeping true to the values of Star Trek and recognizes one of the major issues affecting the status of Star Trek 4.
Chris Pine's Star Trek Movie Plan Is Right
Star Trek is a beloved franchise, but Chris Pine is right - it shouldn't be attempting to compete with Marvel. There is a proven audience for a Star Trek movie, as exemplified by the five different properties in the current Star Trek TV show stable, so it makes perfect sense to appeal to that audience. Having a guaranteed audience significantly reduces the risk of a project, so Chris Pine is correct to prioritize these captive theatergoers over the general audiences that go to Marvel movies. Further, strong word of mouth can drive audiences to check out a movie they're told is good, and that includes non-die hards watching Star Trek.
Prior to the box office success of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek in 2009, the movies were never seen as huge blockbusters. Aside from the Kelvin Timeline movies, the highest-grossing Star Trek movie is Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, a crowd-pleasing, culture-clash comedy with a strong ecological message. According to what Star Trek 4 needs to succeed.
Why Paramount Won't Listen To Chris Pine About Star Trek 4
Paramount has previously sought the involvement of Chris Hemsworth, best known for playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Matt Shakman, director of Fantastic Four movie. It's clear that Paramount is attempting to compete "with the Marvels of the world" by trying to inject MCU talent into the Star Trek franchise. Obviously, studio executives see J.J. Abrams' Star Trek as a movie franchise that can stand alongside the fantastical worlds of the MCU, as well as Star Wars, which is why they won't heed Chris Pine's wishes for a modestly budgeted Star Trek 4 aimed at the fanbase.
To ignore Chris Pine's advice is to also ignore Paramount's biggest successes of the past few years. The unprecedented success of Star Trek: The Original Series crew have a similarly nostalgic pull for audiences of a certain age. Sadly, despite this evidence, Pine's belief that actors are the last to know about Star Trek 4 developments suggests the studio isn't interested in Chris Pine's shrewd Star Trek advice.
TOS Actors Got Star Trek Movies Made
Pine's statement that "in Star Trek land the actors are usually the last people to find out anything" shows how differently the studio approaches Star Trek compared to the TOS movies. Leonard Nimoy was a key creative force in the original Star Trek movies, co-writing Star Trek IV's anti-whaling message and directing the hit film and its predecessor, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Captain Kirk actor William Shatner took the creative reins to less success with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier before Nimoy again had a hand in writing the final movie for the TOS crew.
The TOS actors were key to the success of the movies both in front and behind the cameras, so it's disappointing that the Kelvin Timeline cast isn't given the same level of involvement. The tradition was continued in the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies, with Jonathan Frakes directing Star Trek: First , and Brent Spiner co-writing Star Trek: Nemesis. Resurrecting this tradition for the 21st century Star Trek movies by heeding the advice of Chris Pine could finally save Star Trek 4, and future Kelvin Timeline movies from development hell.
