New Star Trek Movie Set For 2023 Release by Paramount

Paramount made the low-key announcement that a new Star Trek movie has been set for release on June 9, 2023. This update on the Star Trek movie franchise was part of a general drop of new and/or rescheduled release dates the studio announced. We learned just last month that Paramount has tapped Star Trek: Discovery writer and consulting producer Kalinda Vazquez to write the script for the new film, which is being produced by J.J. Abrams; however, reports indicate that this 2023 Star Trek film is not Vazquez's project - though reportedly both films are being produced by J.J. Abrams. If you thought news of Paramount working on multiple Star Trek films seemed confusing before...

It was reported in March that the new Kalinda Vazquez film came from an original pitch from Vazquez herself, which has led to speculation about whether or not it could connect to the current Star Trek TV Universe in some way. That may turn out to be the case, if this 2023 Star Trek film is its own separate thing. Here's what io9 found out through its sources:

"A source close to the project told io9 this is not the Vazquez script. It is, however, a separate J.J. Abrams-produced Trek film but all detail beyond that remains top secret. So we have no idea if the story will be told in the Kelvin timeline, which is the timeline the previous Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto movies took place in, have something to do with the new shows, or what."

While the Star Trek franchise has returned strong on TV (Discovery is a hit, Picard is acclaimed, and even the animated comedy Lower Decks made its mark), the movie side has been stumbling. The last film in Abrams' "Kelvin Timeline" was Star Trek Beyond in 2016 ($343.5 million worldwide), which made $100 million less than its predecessor, Star Trek Into Darkness. In the years since rumors and reports swirled that Quentin Tarantino was circling an R-rated Star Trek film and Legion creator Noah Hawley also had an idea he wanted to do, but neither project got off the ground.

No details on who will direct or star in this new Star Trek film - or what the exact timeline/story details will be.