Star Trek Animated Film on the Table According to New Paramount CEO

The Star Trek universe is now bigger than ever, thanks to the expansion of the franchise that has taken place since the launch of Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access). Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks have boldly taken the franchise to places it has never been before, and the future looks even more promising. Recently, Star Trek moved into the world of family animation with Star Trek: Prodigy, and the folks at Paramount clearly see the new series as a gateway to an entirely new audience and genre.

Prodigy is showing that Star Trek can be great for younger audiences and families, so of course Paramount is interested in exploring that avenue even further. In addition to more seasons of Prodigy on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon, as well as the possibility of other ongoing series, producers and executives are discussing the potential for animated Star Trek feature films. 

"The data is pretty obvious. We're going to be patient because we think the show is fantastic and creatively just exceeds all expectations," Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins told The Hollywood Reporter. "I have no doubt that we'll be doing more. Alex [Kurtzman] and I have talked about what the theatrical film version of this show is and the likes of that. We're really excited."

While it may seem on the surface that the Star Trek team is just interested in making a kids movie, Robbins described the tone they're going for as a "four-quadrant family movie." Kurtzman likened the idea to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is still one of the best movies over the past decade, animated or not," Kurtzman said. "It's just an unbelievable piece of artistry. I went with my whole family and another family and we all sat there with our jaws on the floor. Ultimately, Star Trek is about family, it's about these giant universal themes. Getting to tell a story like that, especially given the level of cinema we've already brought to the television show, is a wonderful opportunity. It would thrill me to do that."

"Me as well," Robbins added. "I had a similar experience with Spider-Verse where my daughter, who was 6 or 7 at the time, my late-teen sons and my wife and I all saw that movie together. That was the first experience of any film where we were all in."

Would you like to see the animated Star Trek adventures make it to the big screen? Let us know in the comments!