Jonathan Frakes would like to see Tarantino or Hawley Star Trek films; says Kelvin Timeline would be more likely since “there’s already an audience”

(L-R) Karl Urban as Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, and Zachary Quinto as Spock in Star Trek Beyond

OCTOBER 6, 2020 - Star Trek actor and director Jonathan Frakes took a moment to weigh in on the fate of the Star Trek movies this week in an interview with TrekMovie.com. Frakes has previously served as director on five Star Trek series along with two of the franchise films, Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection. While he isn’t currently affiliated with the film side of the franchise, he did share his opinion on where he thinks it could be heading in the future.

Given a hypothetical scenario in which Emma Watts, president of the Paramount Motion Picture Group, were to call him up and ask for advice, Frakes said he would suggest going with the rumored Taratino-led film or the Noah Hawley project, currently on hold. “If you are lucky enough to get either of them,” Frakes added. “And if they are too busy to direct, I’ll be available,” he said with a laugh.

While the seasoned director seems to take on a “never say never” attitude about both projects, he doesn’t see them as likely candidates for the next Star Trek film. What is more likely, in Frakes’ opinion, would be a continuation of the Kelvin timeline films, particularly one with Chrises Pine and Hemsworth sharing the screen. “That’s probably the one that has the most hope of being made first because there’s already an audience,” Frakes said in the interview. “After Paramount shut down Star Trek for five years, J.J. [Abrams] relaunched it, and in my taste, very successfully.”

He went on to say that he would be curious to see what a Tarantino Star Trek film would look like. Already a fan of Noah Hawley’s work on Fargo, Frakes said he wondered what the writing could be like if Hawley had his chance to write and direct. Even with these possibilities out there, Frakes still sees a Kelvin timeline Star Trek film as the most likely venture for the franchise from a “business” perspective.

While we continue to wait for the next move toward a new Star Trek film, you can read the full excerpt of the interview with Frakes at TrekMovie.com.