‘Star Trek’ movie removed from release schedule after director quits

Fans will be waiting longer than expected for the fourth « Star Trek » movie.

Earlier this year, JJ Abrams – who directed 2009’s ‘Star Trek’ and 2013’s ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ and is a producer on the franchise – announced that another ‘Trek’ movie was in development, with ongoing talks with stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and Simon Pegg to reprise their roles.

« We’re thrilled to say that we’re working hard on a new ‘Star Trek’ movie to be shot by the end of the year that will feature our original cast and some new characters who I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take ‘Star Trek’ to places you’ve never seen before,” Abrams said in February during the ViacomCBS Investor Presentation.

ALSO: JJ Abrams confirms new ‘Star Trek’ movie is in the works and will go into production this year

At the time, Matt Shakman, whose credits include ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘WandaVision’, was attached to direct; last month, however, he parted ways with the project. « Matt Shakman is an incredibly talented filmmaker, and we regret that the time has not come for him to direct our next ‘Star Trek’ film, » Paramount Pictures said in a statement to Deadline. « We are grateful for his many contributions, we are excited about the creative vision for this next chapter, and we look forward to bringing it to audiences around the world. »

Now, Deadline reports that Shakman’s departure derailed the project, at least temporarily, reversing Abrams’ prediction that production would begin in 2022.

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As a result, Paramount has removed the film from its upcoming release schedule, stating that the film will not be released on December 22, 2023, as previously announced.