Star Trek 4 No Longer in Development: Paramount Ends the Kelvin Timeline

by

As many expected, Star Trek 4 has been cancelled, according to Variety. The film will no longer be made.

A recent article about David Ellison’s first 100 days leading Paramount Skydance indicates the studio is planning a new Star Trek movie. However, they won’t be using the cast from the previous films directed by J.J. Abrams – actors like Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto won’t be returning.

After ten years of speculation and attempts that didn’t pan out, the Kelvin Timeline is officially finished.

A Brief History of the Star Trek Reboot

J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek movie created a split in the Star Trek universe and among fans. Instead of just redoing the original characters, the film brought back Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the original series, and used time travel to establish this new version of Star Trek in a separate reality. This new reality is officially known as the Kelvin Timeline, named after the USS Kelvin, which was destroyed to mark the divergence.

Fans had different reactions to the reboot. Some believed it was a smart way to keep the classic Star Trek timeline intact while giving writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci the space to create fresh stories. Others felt it was misleading. Regardless, the film was a financial success, earning over $385 million globally on a $150 million budget, and received several nominations from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

The 2013 follow-up, Star Trek Into Darkness, sparked even more disagreement among fans. Drew Dietsch of Giant Freakin’ Robot strongly criticized the film, calling its plot “aggressively stupid,” its ideas “lazy and slightly disrespectful,” and arguing that it undermined the core values of Star Trek. Despite the negative reviews, the movie was a financial success, earning over $467 million globally on a $190 million budget.

As reported by ScreenRant, contracts with the actors for a fourth Star Trek movie were already set before filming began on 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. Justin Lin, who successfully brought back The Fast & The Furious series, took over directing from J.J. Abrams and increased the film’s focus on action. Although Beyond cost $185 million to make, it earned $343 million worldwide, a lower amount than previous films—which may have led Paramount Pictures to reconsider their plans.

In 2018, Variety announced that S.J. Clarkson was set to direct Star Trek 4. A successful television director, she would have made history as the first woman to direct a Star Trek movie. Details about the story were limited, but it was expected to involve time travel and a meeting between Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and his father, a role originally played by Chris Hemsworth in the 2009 film, who was on board to reprise the part.

Following the modest financial performance of Star Trek Beyond, Paramount requested a smaller budget for the next film. Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth, now a proven box-office draw thanks to Thor, were asked to accept reduced salaries. When they wouldn’t agree to the pay cuts, the project stalled.

The world of Star Trek expanded on television with shows like Discovery, all continuing within the original timeline. While these newer series have also faced some criticism, currently it appears only the alternate ‘Kelvin Timeline’ films are being discontinued by Harlan Ellison and Paramount Skydance.

A Fresh Star Trek Movie

The Kelvin Timeline, intended as a new beginning for the film series, only produced three movies. But now, enough time may have passed for Star Trek fans to be open to another reboot.

This could also be a chance for Star Trek to continue its story in the original timeline and explore completely new frontiers.

Read More

2025-11-06 22:56