There hasn’t been a lot of news about the next Star Trek feature film since it was reported in December that producer J.J. Abrams had hired a screenwriter to draft a script based on an idea from Quentin Tarantino. Now another actor is sounding more optimistic about Star Trek returning to the big screen.

Karl Urban is out promoting his new film Bent, and of course he is being asked by the movie press about Star Trek. Speaking to LRM, the actor said he thought Tarantino’s involvement was “exciting,” and gave an update on where he see’s the Trek project:

Here’s the thing—they’re in the really early stages of development at this time. Quentin is about to direct his Hollywood film [Once Upon a Time in Hollywood] with Brad Pitt and [Leonardo] DiCaprio. You’re talking about a film after a film. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the ball is in Paramount’s court. Hopefully, they’ll green light another Star Trek movie. If they do it, then it’ll be a lot of fun.

Speaking to JoBlo the Urban seemed more optimistic about his return as Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy, saying:

“I have such a blast working on those Star Trek movies. You know, that cast, we’re like family at this point. I’m pretty confident within, hopefully the next year, that we’ll be back on the set.”

While there aren’t a lot of details, Urban’s comments are a contrast to those he was making in 2017, before the first news of the Tarantino Trek pitch. As recently as last October the actor seemed resigned to the possibility of 2016’s Star Trek Beyond being his final Trek film, saying “if we don’t get that opportunity [to make another Trek film] then I’m really happy to have ended on such a good note.”

Since Beyond, all the main cast members have expressed interest in getting back into space, and some frustration with wondering when or if that was going to happen. It isn’t clear if Urban’s optimism is based on information that the cast of Beyond would be involved with the Tarantino project. But, he sounds more sure than his fellow cast member John Cho who in January could only say he “hoped” his character (Hikaru Sulu) would be required.

Shatner says he was joking about returning as Kirk via CG tech

Speaking of actors talking changing their tone about the next Star Trek feature film, William Shatner seems to be backtracking a bit on his recent comments about how CG tech could be the solution to him playing Kirk again for Tarantino. In a new interview with the Toronto Sun, the actor now implies he was joking:

In a private conversation, I said that if there was a way to get back into Star Trek it would be through Ziva, who can make me look any age and dress me in any wardrobe. But that was tongue and cheek because right now the movies have their own cast. Looking ahead, virtual reality is something that is really going to take off in the next few years.