February saw a swathe of new projects announced by Paramount, the studio intending to bolster the offering of Paramount+, their exclusive streaming platform. One of the titles announced was a third sequel in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, the fourth movie total, with all the associated star players returning to their roles. “We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new Star Trek film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast,” producer J.J. Abrams said.

But The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that, according to their sources, said stars — including the likes of Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldaña and John Cho — were none the wiser about the new installment. According to THR, “most, if not all, teams for the franchise’s primary players […] were not aware that an announcement for another film was coming, much less that their clients would be touted as a part of the deal, and certainly not that their clients would be shooting a movie by year’s end. Insiders say that Pine, who plays Captain Kirk, is the first to enter into early negotiations as he is the linchpin to the project.”

This strikes as a strange move if this is the case because, presumably, contracts had yet to be signed, and this relinquishes the studio of any bargaining power. Now the project has been announced with the returning ensemble, that’s exactly what fans will expect — meaning that big hitters, not least the likes of Quinto and Pine, can demand top-dollar figures to step back aboard the Enterprise. THR notes that Paramount hopes to start filming the new movie in the fall, in order to make the touted December 22, 2023 theatrical release date.

However, THR reports “the script is still being worked on, according to sources, and there is no green light or budget in place,” suggesting there’s a tight window to line everything up — complicated further by the small matter of performance contracts. THR highlights further that the film’s “budget will now likely have to account for talent deals that may be supersized”. So what was Paramount‘s motivation in going early on the announcement, sweeping the proverbial rug out from under the feet of Star Trek‘s players? “Industry insiders say that Paramount let go of negotiating leverage in order to have a key chess piece as it courts Wall Street investors,” say THR.

It’s a helluva gamble. But let’s hope that such a bold move — where no streamer, you might say, has gone before — pays off for Star Trek 4.

via Collider