The next Star Trek movie previously described as Star Trek 4 might not use the cast from J.J. Abrams' trilogy. Paramount and CBS have a thriving stream of Star Trek content on the small screen, but it has been a bit more challenging to figure out the IP's future on the big screen. Abrams rebooted the property in 2009, launching a trilogy of films led by Chris Pine's James Kirk and Zachary Quinto's Spock.

These movies started out very well with the box office performances of Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, but interest in the franchise dipped with Star Trek Beyond. The 2016 film had the lowest box office haul of the trilogy and left the future in doubt for a time. Paramount is considering multiple Star Trek movies, and one of them is set to be directed by Legion's Noah Hawley. The film was previously said to be Star Trek 4 and feature at least some of the same cast members from Abrams' trilogy, but it appears that isn't the case anymore.

In a report from Deadline about the future of the Star Trek franchise, the outlet revealed they've heard Hawley's movie will feature an entirely new cast. The article even revealed some potential plot details about the movie, which is said to be about a deadly virus. The current COVID-19 climate could be one reason why Paramount isn't rushing to tell that story. But, if this report is accurate and Hawley's movie is made down the road as it is currently envisioned, it does not appear that Pine, Quinto, or any other stars from Abrams' films will be part of the ensemble.


Hawley's Star Trek movie possibly happening without Abrams' cast lines up with how the project has continued to evolve since its' announcement. Shortly after the film was revealed, Simon Pegg, who played Scotty in Abrams' movies, teased that he and his fellow castmates might not be involved since he didn't think Hawley was doing Star Trek 4. Then in early 2020, Hawley described his vision as "a new beginning" and explained he didn't see the movie as Star Trek 4, making it sound less likely that the Abrams cast would appear.

Even though Hawley's movie might not feature Abrams' cast, it appears there is still a chance that another film using them could happen. Hawley's movie is an original idea for a Star Trek film and not him taking over the previous plan that was floated, where Chris Hemsworth would return as Kirk's father. That idea stalled due to contract disputes between Hemsworth, Pine, and the studio, but it is still possible that it could be reconsidered. If making a new Star Trek movie is one of Paramount's priorities (and the storyline for Hawley's film will keep it shelved for a bit), bringing back the Abrams cast might be their best bet.