Summary
Chris Pine wants to return as Captain James T. Kirk inStar Trek 4, but he has his own ideas abouthow to make anotherStar Trekmovie to please the fans.Pine and the cast of J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009) won over skeptical Trekkers by embodying the iconic characters ofStar Trek: The Original Serieswhile injecting them with youth and verve. Pine would play an older Kirkin his 40s ifStar Trek 4gets off the ground, which is an idea that interests him.
Speaking to fans at ACE Superhero Comic Con 2024 (as reported byPopVerse), Chris Pine, who recently directed his first feature film,Poolman,spoke his viewpoint about which audienceStar Trek 4should cater to. Not only does Pine thinkStar Trek 4should be made for"diehard" Star Trekfans, but he suggests a smaller budgeted film with less action and fewer explosions that’s more story and character-driven. Read Chris' quote below:
It was always about getting the audience and building the audience. I think what we’ve found is that we’ve captured an audience with the Trek universe that may not have come to us, but generally speaking, it’s the diehards. I think we should make films that appeal to people who want to see the film. I’m sick of trying to please people who don’t want to see what we do.
We’re at a place where to make a film, you make it for like $500 million. That’s half a billion dollars to make these films that you like. For it to be considered successful and everyone to be paid back, you have to make extraordinary amounts of money. The metrics of it don’t seem to make much sense to me.
I think we [should] just make a much smaller film that’s more story-driven, more character-based, there’s less sh*t exploding, and maybe do it that way. Also, shoot it on film, not digital. And then you have the fanbase. The fanbase has always been very kind to me. Obviously, there’s the trolls that lurk on the internet that hate everything, but generally, I think people really liked [our Star Trek movies].
Star Trek Beyond Ending & Why No Sequel 8 Years Later Explained
Star Trek Beyond set up a sequel for Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and the Kelvin Timeline crew, but it’s 8 years later and we’ve yet to see Star Trek 4.
Will Star Trek 4 Be A Lower Budget Star Trek Movie Made For Fans?
Chris Pine’s idea has merit
J.J. Abrams’Star Trekmovies were designed as big-budget action blockbusters, and they brought a scale and cinematic quality theStar Trekfranchise never had before. But whileStar Trek(2009) andStar Trek Into Darknesswere financially successful,Star Trek Beyondunderperformed, comparatively. And while Abrams’Star Trekmovies did bring in a general audience, they still pale in comparison to the box office numbers Star Wars and Marvel Studios' films achieved at their height, which indicates thelimits ofStar Trek’s audience.
Director Toby Haynes has anUntitled Star Trek Originmovie preparing to begin production, targeting a possible 2026 release.
Perhaps Chris Pine’s vision for a smaller-scale, more character-drivenStar Trek 4is the right way to go, which could also make the film align with the more story-centric approach of theStar TrekTV seriesdiehard fans prefer. However, it’s unclear what Paramount Pictures intends forStar Trek 4as they continue to develop the next movie over 8 years afterStar Trek Beyondleft theaters. Paramount considersStar Treka ‘crown jewel’ franchise, and it’s likely the studio still envisionsStar Trek 4as a blockbuster film instead of the lower budget, story-first approach Chris Pine wants to take.
