Wrath Of Khan Director Pitched A New Star Trek Movie To Paramount
The Wrath of Khan director has pitched a new Star Trek movie. Here's what we know.
This article is more than 2 years old
Star Trek remains one of the most beloved science fiction franchises on the planet. That is primarily due to truly talented writers, directors, and all-around outstanding storytellers who have elevated the series by making bold choices and expanding Gene Roddenberry’s characters and concepts in exciting ways. One of these gifted creators made the incredible Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and he even wants to come back to the Star Trek universe after years of being away from it.
TrekMovie.com brings exclusive word that Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer pitched his vision for a new Star Trek movie to Paramount. Following Star Trek: Beyond‘s disappointing box office performance back in 2016, the fate of the Star Trek reboots has been shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. But regardless of where things stand now, Meyer’s story definitely would have reinvigorated the series, and it is a shame that the studio didn’t greenlight this immediately.
Here’s what the Wrath of Khan director told TrekMovie:
“My partner Steven-Charles Jaffe and I wrote a whole treatment and plan for a Star Trek feature film. We didn’t write a whole script. We wrote a very detailed treatment and a whole pitch doc with illustrations. It’s a very comprehensive thing. And we first we took it to Alex Kurtzman, then we took it to J.J. [Abrams], and then we took it to Emma Watts at Paramount.”
Exciting, right? Sadly, Meyer has not yet heard back from Paramount, but he did confirm that he pitched his idea within the last year and is eagerly awaiting the company’s response. He did not get too crazy with details, but he did say it would involve all-new characters that would require Paramount to cast new actors. So it would basically be its own thing. Hopefully, if Meyer’s new film does end up happening, it will find the same kind of success that Wrath of Khan did. Paramount should absolutely let him do it.
To this day, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is considered one of the franchise’s best stories. From inspiring the flipped fates of Kirk and Spock in the maligned Star Trek: Into Darkness to prompting shows such as South Park and Hawaii Five-O to include references from the movie, the sci-fi masterpiece has had resonance both in and out of the Star Trek mythos.
In terms of what is confirmed or even solidly rumored to be up next for the franchise, a Star Trek: Lower Decks movie is said to be on the horizon, while new seasons of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard are confirmed to be in development. The fourth season of Discovery is set to premiere later this year. These shows have mostly been well-received, which spells good news both for fans of the series and for franchise architect Alex Kurtzman, who took over Star Trek‘s television arm in 2018. Have they been Wrath of Khan levels of good? Maybe not, but you really can’t expect that. Meyer’s film is special, and it is tough to replicate that kind of success.
If you are sad that the Wrath of Khan director’s new idea may not ever make it to the big screen, fret not: He also helped make Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country the fantastic sequels they are, so you can always go revisit those if you’re itching for some quality Star Trek storytelling.
