Chris Hemsworth is unsure where Star Trek 4 stands after reports of Quentin Tarantino developing a new movie. After a bit of a hiatus, Star Trek was relaunched in a big way in 2009 since it saw the release of J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise. The new iteration put Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana in the leading roles, but also included Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, and more. This crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise returned for two more adventures, culminating in Star Trek Beyond in 2016. Unfortunately, the once lucrative franchise posted box office lows with Beyond.
The lower than expected sales put the status of Star Trek 4 into question, despite Abrams dreaming up something big. Plans for the fourth film were never completely unveiled, but it did include a return by Chris Hemsworth as Pine's father, George Kirk. Development on Star Trek 4 went quiet, and current reports say Quentin Tarantino is developing a Star Trek film of his own. For fans of the most recent trilogy, the prospects of a fourth film began to be questioned, and not even Hemsworth knows the status.
Related: Karl Urban Would Love to Make Star Trek 4
IGN spoke to Hemsworth during the promotional tour for his new movie 12 Strong and asked him about the state of Star Trek 4. Hemsworth has previously praised the idea Abrams had for the next film, and upon being asked this question, he says he might need to call up the franchise's former director to get some answers.
I don’t know. It’s a reminder to call J.J. and ask the same question because I haven’t heard any updates on it either.
The future of Star Trek 4 already looked rather grim, and Hemsworth also being in the dark may only make it worse. Many cast members involved with the recent trilogy voiced their interest and excitement in making a fourth film, and Abrams said it would 100 percent happen. Paramount even went as far as to officially announce the movie, its writers, and confirm that Hemsworth will return. All of this happened in the immediate aftermath of Beyond's release, and the fast moving development of Tarantino's movie may have slowed things down.
Even before Tarantino's movie was announced, hints that Star Trek 4's future may be in trouble started to surface. Quinto said there was "no guarantee" it would happen, and later revealed the script wasn't finished yet - something Hemsworth confirmed in this most recent interview. Urban has even gone on record saying he doesn't know anything about Star Trek 4. The fact that the entire cast is in the dark, Abrams is involved with Tarantino's movie, and Beyond disappointed at the box office may just add up to the fourth film not happening.
MORE: Chris Hemsworth Praises 'Amazing' Star Trek 4 Pitch
Star Trek 4 is in development, but does not have a release date.
Source: IGN