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Star Trek 4 Announcement Reportedly Surprised Its Cast Members


Last week, we were treated with the news that the Kelvin cast members are returning for the fourth Star Trek film. A lot of fans celebrated the news as they are happy to see the crew back again for another film years after the release of Star Trek Beyond. But as it turns out, the cast wasn't actually aware that they are returning to the franchise when the announcement was made.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed in a recent report that most of the cast members and their respective representations were not aware that an announcement for the fourth Star Trek film was coming and that they will be part of the deal as well as the plan to begin shooting by the end of the year. Chris Pine is the first one who has entered negotiations since he is the lead actor of the film.

In addition, the script is still currently being worked on and there is no official green light or budget set yet for the project. Due to the talent deals, the budget is expected to be supersized and Paramount Pictures will reportedly let go of negotiating leverage in order to keep the cast as they want to attract its investors.

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It is very unusual to hear that a studio announced a project with the cast attached even though the deal hasn't officially been made yet. Normally, whenever a studio announces a project that mentions the actors attached, a deal has already been made since it signifies that the actors have officially committed to the project. But that is not the case for the fourth Star Trek film since none of the cast members have made their commitment yet to be part of the film and there is still a possibility that they won't sign at all.

The situation can put the project in danger given that the studio has already made a promise to its investors and the audience that the cast members are returning. There is still a chance that some cast members would decline to return due to scheduling conflicts or not meeting the salary that they demand. The last three films don't have the same box office success as most tentpole films so the studio can't afford to have a gigantic budget for the fourth film. It would be interesting to see how this all plays out as this recent report indicates that the project is still not as definitive as we thought it was and the likelihood of the film not happening is still up there.

Also Read: Star Trek 4: Kelvin Timeline Cast Was Brought Back By Studio Due to Market Research

The fourth Star Trek film is currently scheduled to be released on December 22, 2023.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Star Trek and Geek Culture page.