If it seems like Paramount is having a lot of trouble getting Star Trek 4 up and running that’s because they are. They’ve been furiously trying to create an R-rated Star Trek written and directed by Quentin Tarantino but that’s been “in development” for ages. Meanwhile they announced a proper Star Trek 4 awhile ago, to be directed by S.J. Clarkson and co-starring Chris Hemsworth as Captain Kirk’s father, but that project stalled out and never came to be. So, yeah, things haven’t been moving smoothly for the next Star Trek film.
But we are now hearing that Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley will write and direct Star Trek 4 with the original cast returning. Plot details are under wraps but Hawley’s involvement promises the film will be a bit more high-brow than the average blockbuster, which feels totally right for Star Trek.
This is mostly good news for Paramount because Star Trek is one of their most beloved franchises. At the same time, the latest slew of Star Trek films haven’t exactly set the box office on fire. The series feels dangerously close to obsolete and needs an injection of something new and fresh in order to keep going. Hawley just might be that new, fresh thing.
The guy has been very busy lately, wrapping up Legion while directing his first feature, Lucy in the Sky, and prepping the next season of Fargo. He has also been attached to a Doctor Doom movie for years but that project seems less and less likely, especially now that Marvel owns all things Fantastic Four.
Critics panned Lucy in the Sky but, aside from that, Hawley has continually proven himself. He’s a talented, clever filmmaker and he feels like a good fit for this sort of blockbuster because Star Trek movies should be intelligent. They shouldn’t just be mindless action or solely spectacle. Hopefully Hawley’s direction will take the series in a smarter direction.