Buried in Deadline's report is a quip that a fourth Enterprise-centric film in the main Kelvin universe isn't necessarily dead. In theory, this movie could still be made and complete the series, even if this new movie sends the franchise in a different direction.
Rumors of a fourth Kelvin “Star Trek” movie have been circulating since “Star Trek Beyond” was released, as Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto – who played younger versions of Captain Kirk and Commander Spock – he had already signed a contract to appear in a fourth film. The deadline has been announced at the time the fourth Kelvin film was going to feature a time travel plot where Kirk went back in time to interact with his deceased father. Chris Hemsworth briefly appeared as Kirk's father in 2009's “Star Trek” and had become a huge movie star in the years that followed.
This announcement swirled along with the news that Quentin Tarantino was writing a script for 'Star Trek'. which he claimed was grim and violent. Some speculated that audiences would soon see both films, though it's unclear if they'll be set in the same continuity. In 2018, Paramount must have been feeling ambitious, as they actively claimed developing three “Star Trek” movies simultaneously. This followed the launch of CBS All Access, now called Paramount+, and the accompanying onslaught of new “Star Trek” television. In December 2019, however, Viacom went ahead with a major merger and the “Star Trek” film and television teams reunited after 14 years apart.
Since then, several “Star Trek” movies have gone into production, including one written by Matt Shakman, one by Noah Hawley and one by Kalinda Vazquez. As far as we know now, all of these films have fallen apart. Haynes' version seems to want to sidestep the casting issues, opting for a new “Star Trek” story.
This is a developing story and we will report with more details as they become available.
