Paramount Pictures is edging ever closer to boldly going where no one has gone before, with production of Star Trek 4 now nearing the “starting line.” Speaking with Variety, Paramount Pictures President Brian Robbins has offered a promising update regarding the Star Trek sequel, revealing that conversations with J.J. Abrams are finally happening, and that the studio are aiming to bring back the likes of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the Kelvin timeline cast.

“We’re deep into it with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we’re getting close to the starting line and excited about where we’re going creatively. I’m a research nerd, and what the data tells me is that the audience wants that cast in this movie.”

Production on Star Trek 4 has been extremely up-and-down, with many believing that the sequel would never happen. So much so that the recent announcement that the Starship Enterprise would indeed rise again came as a surprise to not just the fans, but also the cast.

Following the recent appointment of Brian Robbins as the President of Paramount Pictures, it sounds like the studio is now getting serious about bringing Star Trek 4 to the screen. With Robbins even stating that the franchise will go beyond a fourth installment and into a “multi-year” plan.

“Going forward, I’m focused on our franchises. We are fortunate in that we have amazing franchises, which we need to lean into. We have adult franchises like Mission: Impossible, A Quiet Place, Transformers and Star Trek. And we have family franchises with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob. You’ve got to have multi-year plans for these franchises. You can’t just make a movie, see how it does, and then decide to make another one, because if you do that, it will be years between sequels.”

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The Kelvin Timeline Cast Is Excited to Return for Star Trek 4

Star Trek 4 was officially announced earlier this year, with Paramount confirming that both J.J. Abrams and the original cast will return for the long-awaited follow-up. “We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new ‘Star Trek’ film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take ‘Star Trek’ into areas that you’ve just never seen before,” Abrams said in a statement. “We’re thrilled about this film, we have a bunch of other stories that we’re talking about that we think will be really exciting, so can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up. But until then, live long and prosper.”


Despite being somewhat blindsided by the announcement, several members of the cast have communicated their excitement over once again exploring the universe. “I think everybody was like, ‘Did you hear about this?'” Pine said of the sequel reveal. “We’re usually the last people to find out, but I do know we’re all excited. Whenever they want to send us a script, we’re ready for it… We haven’t seen a script. I don’t know anything about it.”

It’s been six years since Star Trek: Beyond, but it sounds like audiences will definitely be sitting down to watch Star Trek 4 sometime in the future.