Paramount Skydance is officially rebooting the Star Trek movie franchise with a completely fresh approach. The studio has hired Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the duo behind Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, to write and direct an all-new Star Trek feature with no ties to previous films or series. It's the clearest signal yet that new owner David Ellison is serious about revitalizing the dormant franchise.
The Star Trek movie franchise is getting its biggest shake-up in years. Paramount has officially tapped Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley to write and direct a standalone Star Trek feature that will break completely from the franchise's cinematic past. The news, first reported by Deadline, marks the first concrete step in new Paramount Skydance head David Ellison's plan to resurrect the dormant film series.
The directing duo brings an interesting pedigree to the Final Frontier. Goldstein and Daley co-directed this year's Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which earned praise for balancing humor with adventure storytelling - exactly the kind of tone that could work for Star Trek's return to theaters. They also wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming and directed the raunchy comedy Game Night, showing range across different genres and budgets.
What's most intriguing is Paramount's commitment to a clean slate approach. Variety reported earlier this year that Ellison 'made it very clear' he wanted to restart the Star Trek movie franchise with fresh creative blood. This new film will have no direct connections to any past series or films, meaning no Chris Pine, no Zachary Quinto, and presumably no ties to the recent streaming shows like Strange New Worlds or Picard.
The timing couldn't be more critical for Paramount. The studio's last Star Trek film, Beyond, hit theaters in 2016 and underperformed at the box office despite strong reviews. Multiple attempted relaunches have stalled, including projects from directors like Quentin Tarantino and Noah Hawley. Meanwhile, Star Trek has thrived on streaming with multiple successful series on Paramount+, proving there's still massive audience appetite for Gene Roddenberry's universe.
