The project seemed to get off to a rocky start, or rather a bit of a non-start for the last several years. Back in 2017, while all we really knew was that a script existed in some form, Zachary Quinto was quoted as saying “I’m hopeful that we’ll do another one, but there’s no guarantee.” None of the cast seemed to know what was going on with the project, including Karl Urban, although that’s not horribly shocking in the grand scheme of things. That said, after J.J. Abrahms touted “Trek 4” as being the best story of the Kelvin bunch in 2016, the project was reportedly shelved just three years later in 2019 after director S.J. Clarkson — who would’ve been the first woman to direct a film in the franchise — exited.
Around the same time, Chris Hemsworth had reportedly turned down the fourth Kelvin film because he wasn’t too keen on the script (which Abrams had boasted as the best of the lot). In 2021, when this latest iteration of the project with Matt Shakman was announced, the entire cast was caught completely by surprise. They didn’t even know it was in the works again.
In March of 2022, Chris Pine spoke plainly, saying, “I don’t trust anybody, but I’m excited. I love the story. I love ‘Star Trek.’ I love my people.” Quinto was similarly reserved yet hopeful in 2019, despite there being no concrete plans (that anyone knew of at the time).
