Star Trek's Jonathan Frakes casts doubt on whether the franchise will return to producing theatrically released films, discussing the troubled development and ever-changing discussion surrounding the potential Star Trek 4 movie. Frakes first joined the franchise in the series premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation as one of the show's main characters, as well as returning the series' spin-off films Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis. Frakes has since reprised the role of Riker in Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, as well as served as a director on many entries in the franchise.
As reported by /Film, Frakes recently sat down with SFX Magazine to discuss the future of the Star Trek franchise, Frakes touched upon the troubled development of Star Trek 4, and offered his honest perspective on the situation. The actor and director stated that with creatives including J.J. Abrams, Quentin Tarantino, and Noah Hawley having been attached to the project, only to eventually leave or deny their involvement has led him to doubt Star Trek's future with theatrically released films. Check out Frakes' full answer below:
"Movies are tough! Even JJ [Abrams] can't get this fourth movie off the ground. All those wonderful rumors? Noah Hawley was attached to a 'Star Trek' movie, and Quentin was toying with people's emotions about doing a movie. If those two names can't get a f****** movie made, I don't know. TV is the future, it seems to me."
Star Trek 4's Troubled Development Explained
Despite Star Trek Beyond receiving critical praise upon release in 2016, the film underperformed at the box office, and the franchise has yet to revisit Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto's Kirk and Spock in the Kelvin Timeline. While Tarantino first expressed interest in directing in 2015, and following reports hinted at a Kirk-centered story with gangster movie inspiration, the director confirmed he would not direct in 2019. S. J. Clarkson was the next name attached to the film for an adventure that would unite Kirk with his long-dead father, George (Chris Hemsworth), though Clarkson's project was also confirmed to be scrapped in 2019. While Noah Hawley's project was rumored to take the franchise in a new direction with a new cast, his production was placed on indefinite hold in 2020, with the latest updates surrounding a potential Star Trek 4 saw Matt Shakman become the latest name to be attached to the project, though he too would leave in 2022 due to scheduling conflicts.
How Star Trek Can Continue To Grow On TV
While Star Trek's movie future is uncertain, the return of Star Trek: Picard and the franchise's other ongoing television series is proof of the franchise's promising future on the small screen. Alongside Star Trek: Picard season 3, 2023 will also see the return of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, as each series continues to develop uncharted areas of the franchise under Alex Kurtzman, with a Michelle Yeoh-led Section 31 series still in active development expected to further expand the universe. Furthermore, the Star Trek franchise has also successfully returned to animation with the success of both Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks, with both series aiming to attract younger and older audiences respectively with their vastly different takes on the series. With multiple successful ongoing series, the Star Trek franchise is currently enjoying a new golden age on television.
With Frakes having experience both behind the camera and having portrayed one of the franchises' most beloved characters, the actor and director's perspective on the Star Trek franchise is sure to be valued by many longtime fans of the franchise. As such, many who are fond of the Kelvin Timeline series may be disheartened by his bleak assessment of his further movies. But with multiple television series set to release in 2023, it is clear the future of Starfleet's adventures is guaranteed for the foreseeable future.
Source: SFX Magazine (Via /Film)