Noah Hawley’s last foray into space didn’t end well, but he hasn’t given up yet. According to reports from Variety, the “Lucy in the Sky” director will write and direct the next “Star Trek” movie. The movie will feature the return of the cast from the previous three films, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Karl Urban.
There had been rumors for months that acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino was looking to take on a “Star Trek” project for his next film. Hawley’s project is separate from whatever work Tarantino may or may not be doing, and it’s also not the rumored prequel that was set to focus on Chris Hemsworth as Kirk’s father, which has been shelved.
On television, Hawley has had tremendous success with existing intellectual property. On “Fargo,” he managed to turn a Coen brothers movie into an entire universe, and on “Legion,” he got to make the weirdest superhero show on the planet. His movie career got off to a less than auspicious start with “Lucy in the Sky”, though. Neither critics nor audiences responded well to the film, so it’s interesting to see Paramount double down on Hawley.
Now that J.J. Abrams has moved on to “Star Wars”, the “Star Trek” franchise has been passed between a number of other directors. After Abrams rebooted the series and directed “Star Trek” and “Star Trek Into Darkness”, Justin Lin stepped in to direct “Star Trek Beyond”. Now, Hawley’s got a chance to put his own spin on the beloved franchise. Abrams’s production company Bad Robot will still produce the film, alongside Hawley’s company 26 Keys.
Whether you love him or hate him, Hawley is a bold storyteller. Every swing he’s taken has been a big one, and his take on “Star Trek” is sure to be fascinating, even if it’s not all that fun. As long as these movies continue to perform well at the box office, directors will keep getting chances to rework the franchise. It may not be as big as “Star Wars”, but sometimes “Star Trek” is more fun.
Are you excited for the Hawley-directed “Star Trek” movie? Let us know in the comments below.
Joe Allen is a freelance pop culture writer based out of upstate New York. Follow him on Twitter.