Paramount Removes 'Star Trek 4' From December 2023 Release Date

Paramount’s attempt to make “Star Trek 4” is quickly turning into one of the most ridiculous stories in Hollywood. From being a film that seemed ready to shoot to now being completely removed from the release calendar, “Star Trek 4” seems further away from being a reality than ever before. It’s truly fascinating how this has all come to be. 

The latest wrinkle in the ‘Star Trek’ drama comes from a report from Variety which says that Paramount has removed “Star Trek 4” from its upcoming release calendar. The film had secured a December 22, 2023 release date, but obviously, that date is not going to happen. 

READ MORE: ‘Star Trek 4’: Paramount Loses Negotiation Leverage As Cast Is Reportedly Shocked By Announcement

Let’s go back to the beginning to see how this has happened over the past several years. The previous “Star Trek” feature film, “Star Trek Beyond” didn’t necessarily light up the box office but was seen as a success in the eyes of fans and critics. However, Paramount wasn’t rushing to release a sequel and was reportedly looking at a new way to reinvigorate the franchise. From there, we had reports of Quentin Tarantino coming up with ideas for a new “Star Trek” film while J.J. Abrams was also exploring a situation where the franchise would welcome back Chris Hemsworth in some sort of time-travel story. Eventually, the Tarantino ideas never came to fruition and reported contract disputes resulted in the Hemsworth version not moving forward either. 

This led to S.J. Clarkson being hired to direct a new “Star Trek 4” with the film cast coming back. That didn’t last long, as that project eventually fell apart. From there, we had reports that Noah Hawley was going to do a brand-new version of “Star Trek” for a sequel that wouldn’t have the original cast coming back. As we know now, Hawley’s version was shelved, also.

READ MORE: Gene Roddenberry’s Son “Struggles” With Quentin Tarantino Working On A ‘Star Trek’ Film: “I Would Try To Have An Open Mind”

Then came the announcement from J.J. Abrams, who said that “Star Trek 4” was going to start production before the end of 2022 with a 2023 release date in mind. The studio then hired Matt Shakman to come aboard to direct. And the original cast was going to return for the new sequel. The major problem there was that Paramount didn’t have deals in place for the cast to return, so clearly, the announcement was premature. 

Then silence.

Then reports that maybe the film wasn’t going to hit the 2022 production date. Finally, the last nail in the coffin for this iteration of “Star Trek 4” came recently when Matt Shakman officially departed as director to head back to Marvel Studios to helm “Fantastic Four.” As you might expect, with no cast deals in place and no director, getting “Star Trek 4” in front of cameras by the end of the year just isn’t going to happen.

This brings us to today and the news that Paramount has removed the film from the release date calendar. Now, it seems as if the studio is back to square one and it’s unclear if/when we might actually see “Star Trek 4” arrive in theaters. But hey, at least ‘Trek’ fans have all of those Paramount+ shows to enjoy, right?