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New Star Trek Movie, Plus Two More TV Shows Confirmed As In Development
The upcoming Star Trek film and two more television shows have been confirmed as in development. The beloved sci-fi franchise returned to television in 2017 with Star Trek: Discovery after taking a twelve-year hiatus. Before the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek’s revival was limited to the big screen courtesy of movies set within J.J. Abrams' Kelvin timeline. While the first film and Star Trek Into Darkness did well, Star Trek Beyond underperformed; that, compiled with failed contract negotiations left a fourth film’s fate lost in space.
Late last year word came that Legion creator Noah Hawley was set to write and direct the next Star Trek film. Many assumed that film would be a fourth installment in the most recent series of films; however, reports since suggest Noah Hawley's movie is not Star Trek 4. While Star Trek’s future on the big screen has seemed uncertain, its future on the small is a different story. Star Trek: Discovery kicked off a new age of television for the franchise, paving the way for the likes of Star Trek: Picard (already renewed for a season 2), which launched on CBS’ streaming service last month. In addition to those two shows, a Star Trek: Discovery spin-off entitled Star Trek: Section 31 has been announced as well as two animated series: one called Star Trek: Lower Decks and an untitled one on Nickelodeon.
During a ViacomCBS 2019 earnings call Wednesday, CEO Bob Bakish confirmed that even more Star Trek is on the way. Not only is a new Star Trek movie indeed in the works at Paramount Pictures but two more Star Trek television shows are in development as well as a series of Picard novels. You can view Bakish’s quote in an official tweet by ViacomCBS below.
The aforementioned earnings call is the first one since the merger of Viacom and CBS in August of last year. That merger has brought the Star Trek films and television rights together under one roof; that said, it only makes sense that the company would want to expand the franchise across all mediums using their subsidiaries. The first Picard novel, The Last Best Hope by Uma McCormack released this month and more Star Trek comics are on the way (tying into both current and past films and television series) such as a return to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in April.
Despite Star Trek Beyond’s lackluster box office performance and an inability to secure deals with Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth for the fourth film in 2019, the franchise appears to be flourishing. This is thanks in large part to Star Trek’s passionate fan base. The launch of Star Trek: Picard, which saw Patrick Stewart reprise his role from Star Trek: The Next Generation, set records after its release on CBS All Access. ViacomCBS’ decision to mass-produce Star Trek content may risk franchise fatigue, but with just enough departures/spin-offs in the same vein of what J.J. Abrams did in 2009, it could live long and prosper.
