The churn of Star Trek movie developement continues to bubble over at Paramount Pictures, where today news broke that another new film is in the works to revive the theatrical arm of the franchise.
 
First reported by Deadline, Star Wars: Andor lead director Toby Haynes has been tapped to direct a film described as “an origin story that takes place decades before the original 2009 Star Trek film,” scripted by writer Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Lego Batman Movie).
 
Deadline reports:
 

EXCLUSIVE: Even as they continue to develop the final chapter in its main [Kelvin Timeline] Star Trek series, Paramount is looking to expand on the IPs universe as it has tapped Toby Haynes to direct a new film that expands on the Star Trek universe with Seth Grahame-Smith penning the script.

 

J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is producing and sources tell Deadline that while plot details are being kept under wraps this project is an origin story that takes place decades before the original 2009 Star Trek film. Insiders go on to add the final chapter in the [Kelvin Timeline] series, Star Trek 4, remains in active development.

While produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, which brought fans the three Kelvin Timeline films (Trek ’09, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond), today’s reporting does not provide specifics on this new prequel film’s setting. This could be a tale told in past of the Kelvin Timeline itself, or perhaps decades before Kirk and Spock in the Prime Trek universe — or it may be some sort of story told independent of either, a standalone movie less tied to existing franchise continuity.

Whatever this new picture brings to the table, it won’t star Chris Pine and the rest of the Kelvin-verse Enterprise crew; both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter note that a fourth Kelvin film — which exited Paramount’s schedule back in 2022 — is still on a separate development track within Paramount.

We’ll continue to bring you news on this new Star Trek film concept as it becomes available.