Star Trek 4 May Move Forward With the Most Hated Director of the Franchise
It seems like the struggles for Star Trek 4 are never-ending.
After years of development hell, multiple script rewrites, and a contract dispute with the cast, it seemed like the long-awaited fourth entry in the Kelvin timeline was finally set to release in December 2023. However, that release date was quickly removed from the Paramount calendar amid further chaos over the creative direction of the movie and scheduling conflicts.
Now, a rumor is circulating that Paramount has turned to the one man they think can save the movie: J.J. Abrams. While this is completely unsubstantiated at this point, it's worth noting that Abrams has recently seen a number of his projects put on hold after the shakeup at Warner Bros., so at least he's available?..
"I don't have a ton of sourcing on this but it's interesting enough I want to put it out there: I've been hearing whispers JJ Abrams might be back in the director's chair for STAR TREK 4," @ViewerAnon shared.
Fans of the franchise aren't exactly thrilled at the idea of Abrams returning to the director's chair. His previous two Star Trek films, 2009's Star Trek and 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness, were met with mixed reactions from fans, and his work on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was widely criticized in SW fandom as a complete and utter disaster.
"Ugh, not J.J. Abrams again," tweeted @TrekkieFourLife. "His Star Trek movies were just okay and The Rise of Skywalker was a disaster. We deserve better for Star Trek 4."
Others were more hopeful, citing Abrams' good relationship with the cast and his motivation to prove himself after the Warner Bros. debacle as potential positives. Seems like Abrams got enough fans who believe he's a solid director and the whole IX mess was not his fault.
"I'll give J.J. another chance," tweeted @TrekFan4Forever. "The first movie was great, and he seems like he really wants to make up for the mistakes he made in the past. Fingers crossed for a comeback."
It's unclear at this point if Abrams will actually take on the project, but one thing is certain: fans just want to see Star Trek 4 finally enter production.