This is all happening so fast. In a year full of things that were difficult to believe, news of aQuentin TarantinoStar Trekmovie has got to be one of the biggest headtrips of all. The project surfaced earlier this month when reports hit that Tarantino shared aStar Trekpitch with J.J. Abrams, who loved it and took it to the higher-ups at Paramount, where Abrams has been steering the Trek franchise since the 2009 remake. In the weeks since, we’ve learned that while Tarantino may direct the film, he was working with the studio to find a screenwriter and since this is apparently a totally real movie that might actually happen, they have recruitedThe RevenantscribeMark L. Smithfor the job.
Deadline reports that Tarantino still wants to direct the film, which he plans to produce with Abrams. Per the report, Smith became a favorite for Abrams and Paramount after he scriptedJulius Avery’s Bad-Robot-produced WWII thriller,Overlord. Smith emerged as the frontrunner for the job after taking part in a writer’s room for the project withLindsey Beer(Chaos Walking), andDrew Pearce(Iron Man 3) and Megan Amram (The Good Place).
As we previously reported, the film is expected to be rated R as a condition of Tarantino’s involvement. Smith will write while Tarantino works on his next film, the drama set during the summer of Manson’s 1969 murders, which landed at Sony after competitive studio courting.
Details of Tarantino’s pitch have been kept tightly under wraps, but Dave broke down some of thefilmmaker’s previous commentsabout what he’d like to do with theStar Trekfranchise, including expanding episodes likeCity on the Edge of ForeverandYesterday’s Enterpriseinto feature-length films. “I do think,” Tarantino said," what could be done, rather than just hokey space stories … You could take some of the great, classicStar Trekepisodes and easily expand them into 90 minutes or more, and really do some amazing, amazing stuff."
No release date is set for this very WTF movie yet, but Tarantino’s Manson project is set for July 04, 2025 so if he does actually intend to direct this thing, we’re in for a bit of a wait.
For more of the latest on Tarantino and his Star Trek film, check out the links below:
