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Nicholas Meyer is working on another Star Trek project in addition to Discovery

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
http://trekmovie.com/2017/06/02/exc...che-and-hints-at-another-star-trek-project-2/

Meyer: One thing that has nothing to do with Discovery is that I am working on another Star Trek project, but I can’t discuss that either.


After pressing him, Meyer assured he could “absolutely!” reveal on the record he was working on this non-Discovery Star Trek project, and that it was something he was working on currently.

The only other known major Star Trek project that comes to mind would be a feature film. But Meyer wasn’t budging when asked to confirm this assumption…

TrekMovie: Are we talking more feature film because as far as I know, there is only one television project, I assume.

Meyer: You can assume.

In addition to writing and directing Star Trek II Meyer also worked on the scripts for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered country, which he also directed. That 1991 movie was his last feature as a director and he has primarily remained active as a writer in both television and film since, including writing for Star Trek: Discovery.

Since it was first announced last summer things have been generally quiet with regards to news of the next Star Trek feature film. Even though Star Trek Beyond didn’t meet expectations it was still the best performing film for Paramount for 2016. As recently as March the chairman of Paramount’s parent company was talking about how Viacom sees Star Trek as one of the key franchises for the Paramount’s future tentpole releases. However recent comments from the actors like Zachary Quinto reveal they are in the dark as to future plans, even prompting Chris Pine to lament he needs to know what is up so he can make plans.

That original announcement from last July noted that J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay would write the screenplay for the next Star Trek feature, although a tweet from last December from Simon Pegg hinted that he and his Star Trek Beyond co-writer Doug Jung may be returning as writers.

It is of course possible Meyer is talking about some other Star Trek project that has nothing to do with another entry in the Star Trek film or television franchise. It could be anything: a documentary, a book, comic book, game, attraction, event or even merchandise.

Last paragraph is key for those of us tightening expectations, I think. It could be a comic book or major marketing push or anything at all, really.

But if he were somehow involved in the Kelvinverse "Star Trek 4" or a new movie effort altogether (or another show?!) that would be pretty damn big.
 

DiscoJer

Member
Animated show plz

I would love to see this. I was a big fan of the original animated show. It allowed actual alien looking aliens and exotic environments that couldn't be done on the original show

I guess a lot of that could be done with CG these days, but likely that's too expensive for a show
 
I would love to see this. I was a big fan of the original animated show. It allowed actual alien looking aliens and exotic environments that couldn't be done on the original show

I guess a lot of that could be done with CG these days, but likely that's too expensive for a show

Me too. I think I actually like the animated show more than the original series.
 

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
Kelvinverse TNG movie reboot?

Could be. Or it could be the fourth Kelvinverse TOS movie, or a new film concept altogether. The new CEO might want to refresh the slate and try for big[ger] bucks again. Back when Trek 09 came out, industry analysts predicted a jump in cash on the scale of Batman Begins to The Dark Knight between installments. I never thought something of that magnitude was in the cards, per se, but the four-year wait between movies seemed to douse the hype on nuTrek more than Abrams, et al anticipated.
 

Busty

Banned
I bet it's another TREK show to replace Discovery when it isn't renewed prompting CBS to tell the world that it's plan was always to use the 'True Detective' style anthology model.

This is darkly hilarious.

It has been nearly two years, IIRC, since Paramount had a film that made more than $500m at the global box office.
 

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
I bet it's another TREK show to replace Discovery when it isn't renewed prompting CBS to tell the world that it's plan was always to use the 'True Detective' style anthology model.

As it happens, there have been rumors the new show would take an anthology approach almost since its late 2015 announcement! Although I can't recall them ever being truly substantiated.
 

Sapiens

Member
The production design for new movie trek is super solid, but the casting and stories are so blah. I wouldn't mind seeing the same coats of paint, but a different story team. Maybe a recast too. I wonder if Meyer still has it in him. I doubt this is what the second project is.

Either way, I'm a little too optimistic about Discovery because of him, but I bet it will be the most trek thing we've gotten since ds9 ended.
 

Bluth54

Member
Animated show plz

I would love an animated show (either cartoon or CGI) set in the Prime Universe post Voyager. You could likely get a lot more Trek actors to come back a do some voice acting guest spots than live action.
Plus you could have a of more aliens in Starfleet.
 

Effect

Member
As it happens, there have been rumors the new show would take an anthology approach almost since its late 2015 announcement! Although I can't recall them ever being truly substantiated.
I remember reading that as well when Discovery was announced. That it could possible end up being an anthology show with each season being set in different time periods or follow different ships in the same era with crews flowing in and out.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Animated show plz

giphy.gif
 

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
Could it be a network show to compliment the online show?

I'd be stunned, honestly. Folks at CBS might fear people would be that much less inclined to subscribe to All-Access if they had a Star Trek option on TV.

Wait, Beyond didn't meet expectations? Aww...

It didn't outright bomb, but $343.5 million worldwide isn't exactly hot, either. The original movie made like $45 million more, and Into Darkness came within striking distance of half a billion.

Domestically, it was not a strong performer:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2016/11/01/box-office-star-trek-beyond-was-caught-between-its-fans-and-its-budget/#5fe175ea5e07

As such, even with mostly positive reviews, the film earned $158 million in North American theaters. That was well below the $256m of Star Trek in 2009 and the $228m of Star Trek into Darkness in 2013. While that’s the third-biggest domestic gross for a Star Trek movie, it was eighth out of 13 Star Trek feature films when adjusted for inflation.

I remember reading that as well when Discovery was announced. That it could possible end up being an anthology show with each season being set in different time periods or follow different ships in the same era with crews flowing in and out.

Yeah, same! Just rumors, if memory serves, but compelling ones nevertheless. Although I'd kind of worried that we wouldn't get the great seven-year characterization of some of the older fare as a result. I wish I could remember where these rumors stemmed from, but I'm mobile right now and about to clock in to work, ha.
 
All I want is a Prime Universe show set after the Destruction of Romulus. Is that too much to ask?


Fuck, set it in the 29th century and make it about the timeships since time travel is a big TV device now.


Just no more prequels, and while I liked Beyond (still think STID was an abomination), I don't care if the Abramsverse is laid to rest.
 

Morts

Member
All I want is a Prime Universe show set after the Destruction of Romulus. Is that too much to ask?


Fuck, set it in the 29th century and make it about the timeships since time travel is a big TV device now.


Just no more prequels, and while I liked Beyond (still think STID was an abomination), I don't care if the Abramsverse is laid to rest.

The last thing Trek needs is more time travel.
 

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
I don't dislike Into Darkness, but its legacy is definitely kinda sour overall. I think that tarnished legacy directly contributes to the domestic dropoff we see between ID and Beyond.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
It would be pretty interesting to see Meyer reinvent the Kelvin timeline with a Star Trek IV (Star Trek 4? Star Trek Into The Voyage Home II?), especially if the lackluster response to Beyond had him working under tighter financial constraints (read: Star Trek II all over again.)

That said, I don't think Meyer is the savior of Trek the way some people see him. He and Harve Bennett were a dream team but it's also weird in that Meyer is in some ways the antithesis of Trek broadly.

But either way I doubt it's a film. More likely it's some small spinoff or related media project.

Could be. Or it could be the fourth Kelvinverse TOS movie, or a new film concept altogether. The new CEO might want to refresh the slate and try for big[ger] bucks again. Back when Trek 09 came out, industry analysts predicted a jump in cash on the scale of Batman Begins to The Dark Knight between installments. I never thought something of that magnitude was in the cards, per se, but the four-year wait between movies seemed to douse the hype on nuTrek more than Abrams, et al anticipated.

The movie itself seemingly to please neither diehard fans or engage a bunch of new ones certain did damage, but I've always felt that bizarre four-year gap was the biggest issue. They failed to capitalize on any momentum from the reboot. But I think the larger problem Star Trek has as a franchise these days is that it historically made its money domestically, and now the overseas market is where people are calibrating big movies. Trek probably has to scale back from AAA Blockbuster status if it wants to survive.
 
As a trek fan beyond was pretty much everything I wanted from a st09 sequel. It more than 09 and especally the shit that was into darkness actually felt like real trek, like a 2hr TOS ep with a budget.
 

TyrantII

Member
Star Trek Online had some great ideas for post TNG Trek, but the execution was something leaving desire. It felt more fan fiction or left to the interns.

Still, with real writers I could see the stories being adapted into a solid 6-7 season run that focused on the fallout of Hobus, a Romulan civil war, and the return of the Iconians. Plenty of stories to be told in that universe that mirror our problems right now with societies turning inward after experiencing shocks, terrorism taking route, refugee crisis, and in the end an enemy and common threat that they have to put down their difference to unite to save the Galaxy.
 

TyrantII

Member
Trek probably has to scale back from AAA Blockbuster status if it wants to survive.


Hollywood makes AAA movies, or funds Oscar fishing films. There is no middle ground anymore. Once in while someone will still get a pet project approved, but that's about it.

As said above, Trek WAS the tentpole for Paramount that year, as pathetic as that was.

There's nothing to scale back, because there's no trek if they do.
 

OmegaFax

Member
The Wrath of Khan and Undiscovered Country are the two best Trek movies. Meyer is riding on a 30 year old reputation and whether the studio or the current production climate and his level of involvement play out is up in the air.

If Meyer is attached to a Beyond sequel ... or whether whatever sequel that had Chris Hemsworth attached to return as George Kirk still goes through, I don't know how much you're going to get or salvage out of a film series three movies in trying not to be anything like previous incarnations of Star Trek.

I'm indifferent and cautious about writers and directors from the 70s-80s coming back to their respective franchises.

It depends on the level of involvement. Star Wars fans got excited when Lawrence Kasdan was attached to The Force Awakens and is writing the screenplay for the Han Solo film.

Ridley Scott returned to Alien with Prometheus and Covenant with mixed reception. Hampton Fancher returned for the Blade Runner sequel as a screenwriter.

George Miller came back in spades with Mad Max.
 

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
More likely it's some small spinoff or related media project.

I wonder what sort of stuff he could do. I think it's likely that the project is a 4K remaster of The Undiscovered Country or a similar gig, but the fanboy in me can't help reading more into Meyer's wording and hope it's, like, some streaming movie set during the Lost Era or post-DS9 or something. Ha.

Trek probably has to scale back from AAA Blockbuster status if it wants to survive.

I hope this is an option the new CEO is seriously considering, but I share the doubts of some of our fellow commenters. I'm hard-pressed to imagine industry execs approving an $80 million space opera movie franchise this day and age.

As a trek fan beyond was pretty much everything I wanted from a st09 sequel. It more than 09 and especally the shit that was into darkness actually felt like real trek, like a 2hr TOS ep with a budget.

Right. And that's really how Beyond is, from what I remember. I was in one of the worst points of my life when it came out last year, so I intend to rewatch it soon because there's a ton I can't remember. Mental block, ahoy, haha. But I do recall it feeling like a two-part TOS episode for modern audiences. The trouble is, and I kinda agree with that Forbes article I linked earlier, it doesn't really seem like domestic audiences care to show up in droves for such things.

I gotta wonder why international audiences will never, ever care about Star Trek. What I wouldn't give to make China show up for it. That would turn the movies into Pirates 5 sized successes; a ~$680-$800 million accomplishment for Star Trek Beyond would have had Star Trek 4 shooting now, lol. Instead... $340 million.

Star Trek Online had some great ideas for post TNG Trek, but the execution was something leaving desire. It felt more fan fiction or left to the interns.

Still, with real writers I could see the stories being adapted into a solid 6-7 season run that focused on the fallout of Hobus, a Romulan civil war, and the return of the Iconians. Plenty of stories to be told in that universe that mirror our problems right now with societies turning inward after experiencing shocks, terrorism taking route, refugee crisis, and in the end an enemy and common threat that they have to put down their difference to unite to save the Galaxy.

I haven't played Star Trek Online, as I've never been able to get into MMOs, but I have followed the novelverse to some extent. It's interesting that there are kind of these two separate post-DS9 continuations going on, with two sets of ongoing stories. Either one could work as source material, or both.

The Wrath of Khan and Undiscovered Country are the two best Trek movies. Meyer is riding on a 30 year old reputation and whether the studio or the current production climate and his level of involvement play out is up in the air.

If Meyer is attached to a Beyond sequel ... or whether whatever sequel that had Chris Hemsworth attached to return as George Kirk still goes through, I don't know how much you're going to get or salvage out of a film series three movies in trying not to be anything like previous incarnations of Star Trek.

I'm indifferent and cautious about writers and directors from the 70s-80s coming back to their respective franchises.

It depends on the level of involvement. Star Wars fans got excited when Lawrence Kasdan was attached to The Force Awakens and is writing the screenplay for the Han Solo film.

Ridley Scott returned to Alien with Prometheus and Covenant with mixed reception. Hampton Fancher returned for the Blade Runner sequel as a screenwriter.

George Miller came back in spades with Mad Max.

Yeah, I don't know. I love what Kasdan and Miller have been doing, at least. My apathy toward Scott is mostly just out of not caring about the Alien franchise; I'm not much for horror.

I really wonder if that Hemsworth sequel is happening. Between Paramount restructuring and Beyond uunderperforming, it's anyone's guess.
 

Lucreto

Member
Star Trek: Romulus

Set after the destruction of Romulus and the turmoil of losing their home planet and the ramifications of the fall of the Romulan Empire.

A think another Star Trek set in the 25th century. Star Trek used to inspire inventors to push for new technology to match what the the TV series did. There should be another push on this.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
Hollywood makes AAA movies, or funds Oscar fishing films. There is no middle ground anymore. Once in while someone will still get a pet project approved, but that's about it.

As said above, Trek WAS the tentpole for Paramount that year, as pathetic as that was.

There's nothing to scale back, because there's no trek if they do.

Yeah it's a fair point, but just because people aren't doing it doesn't mean it can't be done. I guess Disney money has blinded people to the reality that safe and successful hits are a better gamble than giant megahits after successive flops.
 
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