Quentin Tarantino will not be directing Star Trek, but Mark L. Smith’s script “still viable”, says Deadline

The Star Trek film script written by Mark L. Smith is based on a Star Trek episode featuring gangsters and set in the ‘30s

The idea of a Quentin Tarantino-led Star Trek film is one that just won’t die. And a new report by Deadline (the same one that brought us news that Noah Hawley’s Star Trek 4 may be on a back burner), has indicated that there's still life in the idea yet, but without Tarantino.

On Friday, Deadline reported that it had heard the Tarantino Trek film is still one of three ideas being considered for the post-2009 Star Trek film franchise. Rather than being a front-runner, however, Deadline characterized the project as one that would work better as a Logan-style spinoff somewhere down the line.

The Deadline piece also fleshed out a few more details about the plot of said film, just enough for Star Trek fans to speculate over while Paramount’s Motion Picture Group president Emma Watts decides what the franchise’s next move will be. According to the piece, Tarantino will not be directing the film, which was written by Mark L. Smith, the writer of the Leonardo DiCaprio-led film The Revenant. Smith’s script is supposedly based on “an episode of the classic Star Trek series that takes place largely earthbound in a 30s gangster setting.” That’s consistent with what Tarantino himself said about the script last July: “There is a gangster element to what we’re doing with the Star Trek thing that works out pretty good.” It’s also consistent with Tarantino’s indication in December of last year that he was “steering away” from directing it.

So what we’re looking at is now just one of three contender scripts for a possible Star Trek 4 (and not even a strong contender at that, from reports). Now the question is: will we ever stop calling it “The Tarantino Trek Film”? We’ll have to wait and see.