If you thought the most surprising thing about the Star Trek film franchise was that Quentin Tarantino was potentially penning an R-rated script for it, think again. The big news now is that the Star Trek movieverse will finally be adding a female director to its ranks. Damn, it’s about time.
Zachary Quinto as Spock in 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond. Photo: Paramount
Earlier today, we told you that Paramount revealed at the recent CinemaCon that the studio is working on two Trek movies, though it didn’t get into any specifics (such as, for instance, is one of them Tarantino’s take on the veteran franchise? Or perhaps the hinted-at return of Chris Hemsworth as the father of Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk?)
Amid all that vagueness, at last we have some concrete news, courtesy of Variety, which just confirmed that S.J. Clarkson will direct what’s being called Star Trek 4 from a script by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
While additional details remain scarce, this film seems to be the Chris reunion in the making, according to the trade, which suggests that the father and son will meet thanks to a “time travel” plot, and Zachary Quinto’s Spock will also be a part of the story. Variety also noted that the Tarantino/J.J. Abrams Trek film is still in development, but “sources say it is still being written and would come after the fourth movie”.
Clarkson has a TV-heavy background, with directing stints on shows like Jessica Jones, The Defenders, and Life on Mars. Now, she can add “first woman to ever direct a Star Trek film” to her resume, with the added pressure of injecting new life into the reboot series after the so-so Star Trek Beyond.
Frankly, we’re excited to see what she’ll bring to the table – and we can only hope that Paramount’s willingness to take a chance on someone like Clarkson might nudge some other sci-fi behemoths into diversifying their directing ranks. Ahem, Star Wars?