![New 'Star Trek' Movies in the Works Following Paramount Merger]()
Trekkies have every reason to celebrate following last week's merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global. The $8.4-billion deal resulted in the formation of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, which, on the surface, might not sound like the most exciting news to fans of creator Gene Roddenberry’s nearly 60-year-old science fiction franchise. However, it’s finally been announced that new J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek films are in the works, and more importantly, one of the movies will feature Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock along with other fan-favorite characters. Dana Goldberg, who serves as the co-chair of the new leadership structure (Vice Chair of Platforms and Chair of Paramount Television), said (per Deadline):
"Star Trek is a priority across the company."
Yes, James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock will return along with other fan-favorite characters in an upcoming Star Trek movie, which is touted as "another installment" by the report, and it is being written by Steve Yockey (Supernatural, The Flight Attendant) and produced by J.J. Abrams. Abrams directed both the Chris Pine-led Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). However, while Abrams stayed on as a producer on the third installment of the beloved sci-fi saga, Star Trek Beyond (2016), Justin Lin beamed aboard to sit in the director’s chair for the most recent big-screen adventure of the U.S.S. Enterprise, which hit theaters nine years ago.
Officially, there’s no word yet on whether Pine and Zachary Quinto will reprise their roles as James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock in the upcoming Star Trek film. However, if the long-awaited Star Trek Beyond sequel happens, the production will have to recast the role of Mr. Chekov because of the tragic death of Anton Yelchin, who sadly passed away in 2016. Now, in addition to Kirk and Spock returning for more big-screen adventures, another Star Trek film is also in the works under the new Paramount, a Skydance Corporation brand.
Two New 'Star Trek' Films Are in the Works
The merger between Paramount and Skydance has led to the film conglomerate prioritizing several fan-favorite projects, including not one but two Star Trek films. In addition to a new adventure featuring James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, J.J. Abrams is producing another movie along with Simon Kinberg that is being directed by Toby Haynes (Andor, Doctor Who) and written by Seth Grahame-Smith of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and The Lego Batman Movie fame. The two Star Trek projects will go a long way to help Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, thrive in the future, and CEO David Ellison desires Paramount's return to the top of the mountain. Ellison said:
"One of our biggest priorities is restoring Paramount as the No. 1 studio for filmmakers and talent in the world. Great filmmakers make great movies. For us, we’re going to strategically scale the amount of content for our streaming service as well as studios."
Fans of Tom Cruise’s beloved Pete Mitchell also have reason to celebrate, according to co-chair Dana Goldberg, who also said, "Top Gun is a priority for us." This isn’t a surprise, given that Top Gun: Maverick was a bona fide blockbuster, which made a worldwide total of $1.495 billion during the summer of 2022. However, the official film schedule for the conglomerate over the next three years doesn’t include any Star Trek movies or the Top Gun sequel at the time of this writing. However, some titles have already been officially scheduled, including The Running Man — note the film’s new release date on Nov. 14, 2025 — Scream 7 (Feb. 27, 2026), and A Quiet Place III (July 9, 2027).
