Even before ‘Star Trek Beyond’ hit theaters, Paramount announced plans for a fourth movie in the series and rumors had it somehow Chris Hemsworth would return as Captain George Kirk, the father of Chris Pine’s James T., who appeared in the opening scene of 2009’s ‘Star Trek’. Of course he died in that scene, just after James was born. George gave his life in an attempt to stop villain Nero (Eric Bana). Of course time travel is no stranger to ‘Trek’ lore so a return appearance would seem like no big deal.
Hemsworth recently spoke about the possibility of returning and he seemed positive:
“I’ve spoken to J.J. Abrams, and he has an amazing pitch on the whole thing.”
J.J. Abrams directed the first two ‘Trek’ reboots, but stepped aside for the third in order to focus on ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. He did remain attached as a producer however, allowing Justin Lin to step in as director and will presumably serve in the same capacity in any upcoming films.
Unfortunately, Abrams left on a sour note, with ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. First Abrams et. al. flat out lied to the press and the public about the nature of the villain, Khan played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Then once the movie arrived, fans felt it was too slavishly derivative of ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ an the sequel performed well under the first neo ‘Trek’.
‘Into Darkness’ left such a bad taste in fans’ mouths that it seems to have hampered ‘Beyond”s box office performance. It was one of the biggest disappointments of the summer, in terms of money. The film itself was entertaining, but not mind-blowing.
But ultimately, these movies still do fairly well and ‘Star Trek’ is an established brand. It wouldn’t be surprising for Paramount to make another one, but they may want to really examine what they have on their hands and refocus going forward.
Are you excited at the prospect of a fourth new ‘Star Trek’ movie? Should Justin Lin be given another shot at directing or should someone new be given a shot?
Source: MTV
