It appears "Star Trek 4" will not be happening anytime soon, according to Space.com. Paramount is still trying to recover from the disappointing performance of "Nemesis" in 2002. The cancellation of the TV series "Enterprise" also damaged the sci-fi property. Then J.J. Abrams attempted to breathe new life into the series, ending up with three films.

Fans flocked to the rebooted series which followed the travels of the iconic crew, but Abrams decided to throw in some time travel, shifting the story into a new timeline. It was a great way to include original characters including Leonard Nimoy as Spock.

However, fan reaction to "Into Darkness" drew criticism.

'Into Darkness' received very little love from fans

Fans did not appreciate Abrams remaking "Wrath of Khan." Abrams and his team of writers came under fire for lying that Benedict Cumberbatch's character wasn't Khan. "Beyond," release celebrated the beloved series' 50th anniversary. Despite positive reviews, the film was still a box-office disaster.

The future of the franchise has been in limbo with both the sequel and a film from Quentin Tarantino being announced. Star Trek 4 hit a snag when it was confirmed that contract negotiations with Star Trek stars Chris Pine, and Chris Hemsworth were failing. Not much has been said about the movie, but Deadline has reported that S.J.

Clarkson moved on from the project.

Star Trek 4 lost director and Chris Pine

Clarkson was originally tapped to be "Star Trek 4" director last April and would have become the franchise's first female director. The financial disaster of "Beyond" might have convinced Paramount to shelve the project. If Chris Pine had left the franchise, it would have been strange to recast Kirk, while keeping the rest of the cast.

Tarantino's project sounds like it's still happening, and it will include the J.J. Abrams cast. Tarantino's expected to start the project after she wraps "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood." Perhaps Paramount has shifted their focus on this new take, instead of producing two sequels at once.

A sequel needs to happen at some time, so the original cast can properly give the franchise a sendoff.

Trek fans still have "Star Trek: Discovery" which begins its second season, later this month. CBS has recast Spock with Ethan Peck. Peck has said since this is a prequel series, Spock will be more emotional than fans are used to in the original series.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED