Star Trek 4 'DROPPED': Bad news for Trekkies – Is this the end for Chris Pine cast?

It looks like the latest Star Trek franchise might not be going anywhere else, boldly or otherwise. After months of speculation and reports that Pine could be exiting the series over pay disputes, a major Hollywood site revealed disastrous updates about the fourth film in the current franchise. Following the underwhelming box office performance of Star Trek Beyond, all eyes had been on director SJ Clarkson to reinvigorate the latest incarnation.

Industry site Deadline has just reported that Clarkson is no longer attached and the movie has been “shelved.”

The report was focussed on her involvement with the hugely anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series and noted she was only able to helm the show because her previous commitment had fallen through.

It said: “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.”

The franchise was already in the rather odd position of having two major movies both in discussion.

Not only was the Star Trek Beyond sequel approaching pre-production, an entirely separate movie helmed by Quentin Tarantino, but ostensibly featuring the same cast, has also been widely reported.

Of course, the Tarantino project may now move up in the schedule, but the situation with Chris Pine remains apparently unresolved. Both Pine and Chris Hemsworth, who was due to return as his father, George Kirk, had been reported to be unwilling to sign on without a pay increase.

It is another disappointment for Trekkies, who have seen decreasing box office results for the new franchise, which never really built on the surprise success of JJ Abrams initial 2009 reboot.

A fine cast including Simon Pegg and Zoe Saldana will be left adrift. It is the second troubled franchise for Saldana, who is still attached to the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The Marvel blockbuster finale has also been indefinitely shelved, following the dismissal of director James Gunn last year.

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