Bold claim: Star Trek on the big screen has had more false starts than a ship trying to find warp speed. The franchise’s movie plans have stalled repeatedly since Star Trek Beyond hit theaters nearly a decade ago, including a high-profile bid from Noah Hawley, creator of Alien: Earth. Hawley’s Star Trek project advanced quite far before Paramount pulled the plug, and he explained the sequence of events on the SmartLess podcast.
How Hawley’s Star Trek Fell Apart
Hawley, who made his feature debut with Lucy in the Sky (2019), was eager to helm a larger-scale Star Trek film. He framed his pitch around a single idea: unlike Star Wars or Marvel, Star Trek isn’t built on conflict and combat but on exploration, problem-solving, and intelligence. He recalled presenting an original concept to Paramount that didn’t hinge on Chris Pine or any existing cast.
He described the early process: he wrote the script, Paramount responded positively, and preparations began—potentially moving production to Australia with stages booked. Then Hollywood’s usual shake-up occurred: Jim Gianopulos, the studio’s former head, was replaced by a new leadership team who wanted a safer, transitional movie to bridge from the Chris Pine-era. The result was the cancellation of Hawley’s project as the studio pivoted toward a safer path, effectively shelving the original vision.
Hawley even flirted with big-name stars like Cate Blanchett and Rami Malek for leading roles, but the project never moved forward.
What’s Next for a Star Trek Movie?
Even after Hawley’s project was scrapped in favor of a Chris Pine–led direction, that iteration didn’t reach fruition either. Paramount, under new guidance from Skydance’s David Ellison, ultimately decided to terminate Star Trek 4 and reboot the franchise with fresh faces and a new approach.
Recent reports indicate that Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley—known for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves—are set to write, produce, and direct a brand-new Star Trek movie. Details remain scarce, but insiders say this film will be a clean slate, unconnected to any prior Trek film, TV series, or ongoing development.
A totally new direction might be just what the franchise needs, but plenty of fans will be watching closely to see if Paramount can translate a fresh concept into the same sense of wonder and character-driven storytelling that have defined Star Trek for decades. The film landscape around Star Trek has already shifted toward the small screen, with three live-action series, two animated projects, and a streaming movie expanding the universe in new ways.
Paramount’s posture suggests a pivot from big, bombastic action to something that honors Star Trek’s core strengths: exploration, ethical questions, and what it means to be human. The Kelvin-verse’s emphasis on spectacle never fully captured that essence, and some of the franchise’s best moments—like a film about saving humpback whales—highlight the enduring power of Star Trek when it centers on curious minds and moral imagination.
The bottom line: Star Trek belongs on the big screen again, but the challenge is to recapture its foundational spirit rather than simply cranking up the volume. What sort of Trek should the next film be—an era-defining adventure, a tight moral dilemma, or something in between—and how should it balance nostalgia with fresh storytelling? Share your thoughts in the comments.
