The Star Trek franchise is heading in a new direction on the big screen, with Star Trek: Discovery writer Kalinda Vasquez set to write a new, original Star Trek movie.
Paramount Pictures has set up a blind script deal for Vasquez for her to write an original movie based on an idea she hatched, according to Deadline.
J.J. Abrams will produce the movie through his Bad Robot Productions company, though it’s unclear if he’ll come aboard to direct as well.
New direction: The Star Trek franchise is heading in a new direction on the big screen, with Star Trek: Discovery writer Kalinda Vasquez set to write a new, original Star Trek movie
The writer has a long history with the franchise, even before she started writing on Star Trek: Discovery, because she is named after an obscure Star Trek character.
Vasquez was named after a character dubbed Kelinda, played by Barbara Bouchet, in an episode entitled By Any Other Name in the second season of the original show.
As for the movie, no plot details were revealed, and it’s unclear if this story will feature the most recent Star Trek cast or if the franchise will be rebooted.
Long history: The writer has a long history with the franchise, even before she started writing on Star Trek: Discovery, because she is named after an obscure Star Trek character
Second season: Vasquez was named after a character dubbed Kelinda, played by Barbara Bouchet, in an episode entitled By Any Other Name in the second season of the original show
The Star Trek franchise kicked off in 1966 with the iconic Star Trek series, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForrest Kelley and more.
While the series only lasted for three seasons, the original cast reunited for a series of movies as the fan base continued to grow and meet at conventions around the country.
The franchise spawned a number of other TV shows including Star Trek: The Next Generation, starring Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise.
Franchise: The Star Trek franchise kicked off in 1966 with the iconic Star Trek series, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForrest Kelley and more
Original series: While the series only lasted for three seasons, the original cast reunited for a series of movies as the fan base continued to grow and meet at conventions around the country
Abrams brought the franchise back to the big screen in 2009 with his rebooted Star Trek, starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana.
The cast, which also included Simon Pegg, Karl Urban and John Cho, returned in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.
There have been a few recent attempts to get new Star Trek movies off the ground, including one project from director Quentin Tarantino and writer Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) and another from Noah Hawley (Fargo), though neither are moving forward.
New cast: Abrams brought the franchise back to the big screen in 2009 with his rebooted Star Trek, starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana
Vasquez started her writing career on Fox’s Prison Break, and she also wrote for Nikita, Human Target, Once Upon a Time, Runaways and Fear the Walking Dead.
Most recently she has served as a writer and consulting producer on the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery.
She also recently adapted Barrier for Legendary Television, based on Brian K. Vaughan’s graphic novel, and it was announced in February she’s developing Roadmarks, based on Roger Zelazny’s novel, with Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin producing.
Discovery: Most recently she has served as a writer and consulting producer on the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery