We can see it now: The Hateful Enterprise.
Even though Quentin Tarantino is currently tied up making his latest film about the Charles Manson murders, he’s also been hatching some plans to boldly go where he’s never gone before. Deadline is reporting that Tarantino is in talks with J.J. Abrams to make a Star Trek film.
Tarantino apparently came up with an idea for a Star Trek movie at Paramount and pitched it to Abrams. Abrams, who directed Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013), thought the idea was great, and the two have sense gone to assembly a team of writers to further develop the script.
If the script is approved, Tarantino is in talks to direct the film with Abrams producing.
In the past, Tarantino has solely worked on original movies, all of which are full of extreme violence and pervasive language — which is why this news is so surprising. Picturing Tarantino working on such a high profile franchise is something we never would have thought possible. Either Tarantino is going to have to water down his directorial style, or Paramount is going to have to allow an R-rated Star Trek film for the first time.
Tarantino has, however, gone outside his typical directing comfort zone in television before. He’s helmed two episodes of CSI and one episode of ER in the past. He’s also said that he would be interested in making a James Bond film.
Quentin Tarantino is also a reported Trekkie. In 2015 he told the Nerdist podcast that he wanted to see Star Trek away from multi-character story arcs of the reboots. Instead, he said he wanted to see older Star Trek episodes — name-dropping “The City on the Edge of Forever” and “Yesterday’s Enterprise” — brought into modern day.
Paramount has declined to comment on the news, but stay tuned for any further developments.
Tarantino’s Manson film is being released by Sony Pictures, set to be released on August 9, 2019. J.J. Abrams is currently wrapped up in Star Wars: Episode IX. Star Trek, meanwhile, has a new show — Star Trek: Discovery — that is airing on CBS All Access.