Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Producer Writing New Star Trek Movie Pitch

Paramount Pictures has at least two Star Trek film projects in the works. It sounds like someone responsible for the high bar in Star Trek cinema is working on one such project. Robert Sallin produced Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He tells Den of Geek that he’s in talks with Paramount Pictures for a new Star Trek movie project he’s working on. “I don’t have it completely written, but I have a lot of it written,” says Sallin. “I have a concept for another Star Trek feature that I’ve had discussions with Paramount about — at least on the phone. This one I guarantee you is unlike anything that has been done in Star Trek, and it will be part of the canon, but they (the studio) don’t want to talk about it until they see what Noah Hawley does.”

Noah Hawley is the Fargo and Legion creator that Paramount hired to write and direct Star Trek 4. Sallin makes it sound like his own Star Trek project’s future could hinge on how well Paramount likes Hawley’s pitch, but Sallin also seems as excited to see what Hawley comes up with as anyone.

“I’m really intrigued that the studio has brought Noah Hawley into the Star Trek thing because I have complete respect for his work,” says Sallin. “I find his work unique, engaging, and fascinating. I think the guy is really a special talent. I’ll be very curious to see what he brings to the franchise.”

Sallin then doubled down on how distinct his Star Trek project would be compared to what’s come before. “Unless I am completely off base here, it is completely different,” Sallin says. “Nothing has been done like this and I think it will become part of the canon. That’s all. I hope one day to be able to have the meeting and have them say, ‘Hey, Bob, come on in, let’s talk about that.’”

Whichever pitch ends up turning into the next Star Trek movie, it may or may not include the return fo the Kelvin timeline crew from the J.J. Abrams’ rebooted Star Trek movies. That’s something Spock actor Zachary Quinto has come to terms with.

“It’s already thriving in the television format with Discovery and Picard and the spinoffs,” Quinto said. “I can’t even keep track of how many new Star Trek stories are being told since our last film in 2016. All I know is that we, all of us, had an incredible experience making those films. If there is an appetite for more of those stories with us in them, I’m sure that we would all be thrilled to come back and do one more or whatever, but I’m not really attached to it anymore.

“I stepped away from any expectation or any real certainty that it’s ever going to happen again,” he continued. “I think that’s the only real way to move through the world, right? If it happens, that’d be great, but I’m not going to sit around waiting for it to happen. I have a ton of other stuff in my life, in my career. I have lifelong friendships from those films and working relationships and a lot of respect and fond memories, so if that’s what it ends up being and I can look back on my life and say that’s what it was, then that’s incredible, and if we get to do more, that’s also incredible. But as far as the stories go, they’ve been around for decades and generations, and I think that that will continue, whether or not we continue on with them.”