Spock actor Zachary Quinto gives a disappointing update on the status of Star Trek 4. Quinto took over Leonard Nimoy’s iconic Star Trek role beginning with J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot movie. He later returned as Spock in 2013’s Star Trek: Into Darkness and 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond. But fans are still waiting to find out if Quinto’s Spock will be back in the much-discussed Star Trek 4.
Those same fans actually thought Star Trek 4 was on after some promising updates earlier in 2022, but happiness turned to sorrow when it was later revealed that the movie had lost its director and planned release date. Now in another bit of bad news for Trek movie fans, Quinto himself has weighed in with his own pessimistic update about the possibility of Star Trek 4 ever happening. Speaking to The Independent, Quinto was nothing but downbeat about the sequel’s prospects, indicating that he’s nearly written it off as a possibility. Check out Quinto’s remarks in the space below:
"At this point, I honestly have very little attachment to it. All of us would like to come back and make another movie, but I’ve learned to only get excited about things I know are actually real. And there’s nothing about a fourth Star Trek movie that feels real right now."
Will Star Trek 4 Ever Happen?
2016’s Star Trek: Beyond seemed to sound a warning bell for the future of the Trek movie franchise after grossing an underwhelming $343 million at the worldwide box office (despite an 86% critics score and 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes). Nevertheless, plans continued surfacing over the coming years indicating that Star Trek 4 was very much in the cards at Paramount. Various directors had their names attached to Star Trek movies in that time, including S.J. Clarkson, Noah Hawley and – most bizarrely – Quentin Tarantino (who in truth was never set to direct a Trek movie, but only pitched an idea that was then written up by another screenwriter).
But every time another Star Trek 4 project seems to gain traction, the wheels quickly come off. After Clarkson and Hawley both came and went, Paramount next turned to WandaVision director Matt Shakman, announcing in early 2022 that Trek 4 was back on and had a release date scheduled for June 2023. But Shakman later jumped off in favor of Fantastic Four, and Paramount now says Star Trek 4 is indefinitely delayed.
The only good thing that can be said about Star Trek 4 right now is that the actors all still seem to be onboard with returning. But as Quinto’s remarks indicate, there is very little optimism that the movie will ever actually come to fruition. And truthfully, Star Trek might not be the most viable movie franchise out there at the present moment anyway. Trek may be healthy on streaming thanks to Paramount+ and its stable of shows, but the title doesn’t seem to excite young moviegoers very much. Nostalgia might be the only play if Star Trek 4 is ever to happen, which could mean bringing back the TNG cast for one more go. But right now, it would not be wise to wager on Star Trek 4 making its way to movie screens in the near future.
Source: The Independent