Before this summer, it seemed like the future of the Star Trek movie franchise was anything but uncertain. J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) both went on to garner strong critical and financial success, so most expected Star Trek Beyond to follow suit. And it did in some ways -- just not how Paramount had hoped. The film offered a colorful, light-hearted experience for fans and newcomers alike. It also came as a nice change of pace after a year of overly dark blockbusters. But sadly, Beyond's strong critical acclaim wasn't enough to boost its box office too much. The film ended its theatrical run with only $345.5 worldwide against a budget of $185 million.

This disappointing result quickly put the possibility of Star Trek 4 into question. However, Abrams himself recently confirmed that the sequel would eventually happen. Not only that, he also revealed that Chris Hemsworth, who played Captain Kirk's father in Star Trek, is set to return. So, clearly plans have been made for Star Trek 4. But what we still don't know is how long it will take to get here. The studio has not yet announced a director nor a projected release date. Fans already had to wait four long years in between Abrams' two films, and then another three for Beyond. Nevertheless, some hope still remains. Simon Pegg, who co-wrote Beyond and plays the wisecracking Scotty, has shown fans there may be light at the end of tunnel.

Through his official Twitter account, Pegg teased that he and Beyond co-writer Doug Jung are already working on Star Trek 4. The photo features the dynamic duo sitting in front of a laptop, and is captioned with: "Today..." While nothing is official just yet, this seems very promising. Take a look below.

Today... pic.twitter.com/XJ31AmYprg— Pegg News (@simonpegg) December 6, 2016

This tease may contradict who Paramount previously announced would write the sequel. A few months ago, the studio revealed that J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay were handling scripting duties, so this only makes things that much more mysterious. However, it may be that Pegg and Jung are simply looking over a script by Payne and McKay, or offering rewrites given their experience with Star Trek Beyond.

While Pegg's tweet is still unofficial -- it's better than nothing. But even if this does turn out to be true, we should keep in mind that this could honestly be showing day one of Star Trek 4's script. Pegg has been busy this year filming Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, and Jung recently penned next year's Cloverfield spinoff, God Particle. That means there's probably still a long ways to go.

Something that's plaguing fans' minds right now is whenever Star Trek 4 happens, where will it take the franchise? The third installment ended on a relatively familiar note, with the Enterprise crew heading out on another mission in space. But as vague as that is, the film did add one exciting member to the team. Beyond introduced the lovable Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), who Scotty encountered after the Enterprise crash landed on an unknown planet. She was by far one of the best parts of the film, and so hopefully she will return for the sequel.

Star Trek 4 is currently without a release date, but we will keep you updated as this project develops.

Source: Simon Pegg