With the Paramount merger now finalized, Skydance is making Star Trek great again. At least, let’s hope so.
Following years of subpar content, Dana Goldberg, now co-chair of Paramount and Chair of Paramount Television, made it clear: “Star Trek is a priority across the company.”
This statement came during the new leadership’s first press event in Los Angeles, following the studio’s high-profile acquisition and reorganization.
Notably, as a result of the merger and this event, the newly formed company’s stock has surged nearly 50%.
Skydance’s Star Trek Plans
We get word via Deadline about Skydance’s Star Trek plans.
David Ellison’s Skydance has been involved with the franchise since Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), giving the company over a decade of financial and production ties to the brand.
Now, with Ellison as CEO of the newly formed Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, Deadline says Star Trek will be in-house and under direct control.
If that is indeed the case, that means Alex Kurtzman and his Secret Hideout production company are out when the contract expires next year, per the rumors. However, what is not clear is whether Skydance’s comments at the press event pertain to Star Trek movies alone or if they also include the streaming shows, which Kurtzman has been developing.
Deadline adds that Paramount will no longer share profits on major franchises like Star Trek, Top Gun, and Transformers, choosing to fully fund them in-house and cut out outside partners. This not only gives Skydance full creative control, but it also means Paramount intends to keep all of the potential financial gains or profits from its big franchises. Again, not clear if it includes the Star Trek streaming shows.
Update: In THR‘s report on the press event, regarding Star Trek, their report says Star Trek will be “looked at holistically rather than siloed off between different parts of the company,” which means that Paramount plans to treat the entire Star Trek franchise as one unified brand across film, television, streaming, and other media—rather than handling each part separately.
What’s in Development
According to the report, two Star Trek films are actively in the works:
- Original Character Film: Directed by Andor’s Toby Haynes, written by Seth Grahame-Smith, with Simon Kinberg and J.J. Abrams producing. This version introduces new characters, a new crew and narrative direction.
- Kirk and Spock Return: Another project reunites the classic ensemble with Abrams producing again, and Steve Yockey on script duties.
Bigger Picture for Paramount’s Film Slate
Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg (now studio co-chairs) outlined a roadmap of 15 theatrical films per year with a near-term goal of 20. Star Trek sits alongside other top priorities like Top Gun 3 and A Quiet Place Part III.
They also confirmed a shift away from made-for-streaming movies (like Section 31). Theatrical releases and major IP are the studio’s focus with the goal to “strategically scale the amount of content for our streaming service as well.” So maybe that means more Star Trek shows, as it’s known that various producers are pitching Skydance new ideas.
Under Kurtzman, Strange New Worlds still has two seasons, and Academy is supposed to have two seasons. So that would mean no new Star Trek shows under Skydance until 2027 at the earliest.
