Simon Pegg throws doubt over Star Trek 4 with new comments
Pegg said that the cast and crew's enthusiasm to do another one had been affected by the death of co-star Anton Yelchin
The status of a fourth film in the Star Trek reboot series has been ever-changing in recent months – and new quotes from Simon Pegg suggest that the film might not be going ahead after all.
Despite the fact that Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley is reportedly currently attached to direct the next instalment, Pegg said that the future of the franchise doesn't look very bright.
Speaking to Games Radar, Pegg explained that the death of co-star Anton Yelchin had affected the rest of the cast and crew's enthusiasm to shoot another film.
He said, "We’ve lost momentum. I think losing Anton was a huge blow to our little family, and our enthusiasm to do another one might have been affected by that.”
Pegg, who plays Scotty and co-wrote 2016's Star Trek: Beyond, the most recent entry in the franchise, added that the comparative lack of money generated by the films compared to other blockbusters ensured there was less chance of another movie.
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He said, "Star Trek movies don’t make Marvel money. They make maybe $500 million at the most, and to make one now, on the scale they’ve set themselves, is $200 million. You have to make three times that to make a profit.”
In November 2019, Deadline wrote that Paramount was in “final talks” with Hawley to write and direct a new film in the franchise, and the writer/director himself spoke about his plans for the franchise in January – saying that he would be starting work on the feature “as soon as possible.”
But Pegg's new remarks once again throw doubts over the possibility of another film – although thankfully for Trekkies, there's plenty of other content to gorge on in the meantime, including Star Trek: Picard, an upcoming third run of Star Trek: Discovery and new animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks.
