Has Star Trek 4 Been Permanently Put on the Back Burner?
Despite the promise last year that filming for Star Trek 4 was set to start on schedule, it’s starting to look less than great for the next movie.
Tragedy
Before the movie, Star Trek Beyond even made it to theaters, tragedy struck the cast. Actor Anton Yelchin, who played the beloved character Chekov, died suddenly in an accident. He died on June 19th, 2016, when his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down his driveway and fatally pinned him. It was an utter shock and devastation to many.
The tragic event left fans wondering how they would handle future movies. To some, the young Chekov was the heart of the series, if not a quirky character that was always a delight to see. It would be difficult to write around his character, and impossible to replace him.
Casting Troubles
Both Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth had been contracted for the next movie. But word has come out that their pay has come up for
debate again – despite the signed contracts. It seems like Paramount was seeking to save money by asking for a pay cut from both actors.
It was quite the risk to take considering that Chris Pine is a pivotal character to the series. He plays James Kirk, after all. It looks like the did not pay off either since no word of a new contract has leaked.
Directing Conflicts
S. J. Clarkson had been pulled to be the director for the as yet unnamed Star Trek movie. However, once again it looks like the studio is out of luck. Clarkson recently signed on with HBO to be the pilot director and executive producer of the Game of Thrones spinoff.
Knowing when the spinoff is set to start filming (later this year) and how long the project could potentially run…well let’s just say that it looks like Clarkson is going to have her hands full for a while. Which means that she’ll be too busy to be helping out with Star Trek.
Is It Enough?
Any single one of these tragedies and events would be enough to sink a smaller named movie. The real question is: how many hits can Star Trek 4 take before it’s too many? What are your thoughts on the matter? Can they make it, or is it already too late?
