JULY 11, 2021 - After 40 years, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is officially getting the high resolution restoration it deserves. The announcement was posted to StarTrek.com last week.

The news comes almost two full years after producer David C. Fein announced he was in discussions with Paramount to remaster the director’s edition of the film, which was originally released in 2001. At the time, it was hoped the official announcement would take place in time for the 40th anniversary of the film’s release in December of 2019. While that didn’t happen, the project finally has the “green light” and fans can expect to see an updated version of the film in the coming months.

Fein will serve as a producer in remastering the TMP director’s edition, which he also produced 20 years ago. Visual effects supervisor Daren Dochterman and restoration supervisor Mike Matessino are also attached to the project. All three have previously worked under TMP director Robert Wise, bringing their talents and experience to remastering the film.

In addition to upgrading the film for 4K Ultra HD viewing, the remaster will include Dolby Vision HDR tuning to further enhance the color and detail of the film. A Dolby Atmos soundtrack will also be added, giving audiences a “three dimensional” audio experience through precision layering of the film’s audio tracks.

Remastering the director’s edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture should take between six and eight months. No release date for the new version has yet been announced, but we will bring you more details as we learn them.