Is Star Trek 4 still happening? Details about the delayed project revealed

Will there be Star Trek 4? Star Trek fans have been wondering for a long time. The last time they met the characters was through Justin Lin's Star Trek Beyond in 2016. So, it's been almost a decade of waiting for a follow-up project, and there hasn't been a definitive update on when it will enter production or be out in the world.

Lin's directorial was the third installment in the reboot trilogy that began with 2009's Star Trek and 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness, both directed by J.J. Abrams. They brought Chris Pine, Zoe Saldaña, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and Zachary Quinto into this popular sci-fi action movie series.

Since Lin's movie in 2016, the franchise's fans haven't received a concrete update about a follow-up project. So, the question remains: Is Star Trek 4 still happening?

The most recent update about the fourth installment came from Variety in March 2024. It mentioned that writer-director Steve Yockey was expected to be the screenwriter for the project. Yockey is known for creating The Flight Attendant, which starred The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco in the lead. He has also worked on shows like Supernatural and Dead Boy Detectives as a writer. So, his inclusion in the creative team for Star Trek 4 was deemed promising at the time.

Star Trek 4 is still considered to be in development, bringing the characters from the trilogy back to the roster for a follow-up chapter. However, the project has long been stuck in this development limbo, reportedly since 2018.

What were the last attempts at making Star Trek 4?

A still from Star Trek Beyond (Image via YouTube/Paramount Pictures)

Star Trek 4 has been in development limbo for seven years, with the 2018 plan reportedly expected to cast the Black Panther star Danai Gurira in a crucial role. At the time, Gurira shared this reaction, per Nerdist.

“I was in talks… I don’t know how far along they were, but that was looking to happen. I was quite excited about it, but then that entire film didn’t happen. I was very excited to do it. She was going to be very different from me in many ways. You know, it’s Star Trek, man. It was cool… It was a very exciting idea and story and I was excited about the character.”

Eventually, the plan went through multiple iterations with directors like Noah Hawley (Fargo), Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), and Matt Shakman (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) being considered to direct the project. However, reports suggest that these plans didn't materialize.

In 2022, Deadline reported that Paramount had removed the fourth installment of the reboot movie series from their official roster for release.

It leads us to the most recent update about Steve Yockey's inclusion as a screenwriter for Star Trek 4. However, there have also been plans to expand the universe through other ideas.

In January 2025, Variety reported that a Star Trek project is supposed to go on floors that will be set at a time before the reboot series — with Toby Haynes (Andor, Black Mirror) expected to direct and Seth Grahame-Smith (Just Beyond, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) expected to write.