The latest update on the sequel to Star Trek Beyond seems to spell bad news for the project.

Clarkson moving on

Last April, shortly after Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos announced that not just one but two Star Trek projects were in development, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot tapped director S.J. Clarkson to helm the follow-up to the 2016 film Star Trek Beyond. In the late spring and early summer of 2018, she met with cast members and there was talk that the film would go into production early in 2019. However, in August, the project stalled over salary negotiations with Captain Kirk actor Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth, who was set to return to the role of George Kirk.

Since that August report, there has been no news on any progress on Star Trek 4. And now comes an indication that Paramount has put the project on hold, at least for now. Today an article from Deadline about S.J. Clarkson’s future, notes that she has been hired to direct and executive produce the pilot for HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series, with the Trek project now “shelved.” From Deadline:

I hear Clarkson was recruited by HBO for GOT after she recently became available. Earlier this year, Clarkson was the first female director to be tapped to direct a Star Trek movie when she was hired to helm the fourth feature in the current series. That project has since been shelved.

This actually isn’t the first time Clarkson’s name has come up regarding jumping over to another high-profile project. Over the fall she was reported to be on the shortlist for possible directors for the next James Bond film, which is currently in pre-production under director Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Now, we wait

In the last few months, a number or the actors attached to Star Trek 4 have expressed optimism that the project will still move forward. Even Chris Pine has stated he hopes to return to the role. But it is clear that the film is not going into production any time soon. Finding another director should not be too difficult. In fact, Mission: Impossible Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie has stated he is interested. The major hangup seems to be related to money with Paramount trying to find a way to make the film with a more modest budget than originally envisioned when they first cut deals with Pine and Hemsworth back in 2016.

TrekMovie has reached out to Paramount regarding the status of Star Trek 4, but they have no comment at this time.

Keep up with all the news on Star Trek 4 and upcoming Trek films at TrekMovie.com.