Last month, it was reported that Paramount had found a director for Star Trek 4 by way of S.J. Clarkson, though not fully confirmed at the time.
However, in a recent interview with JoBlo, actor Simon Pegg has now said it’s true: Clarkson will be the first woman to direct a film in the Star Trek franchise.
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“I’m very excited about S.J. being hired,” Pegg said. According to the actor, the primary Trek cast got the heads-up about her hiring not long before the public did: “J.J. emailed us about that just before it was announced…Everybody was so excited. I think Zach [Quinto] has actually worked with her. I’ve seen stuff she’s done, and I think it’s a great choice, and it’s about time.” Previously, Clarkson directed Spock’s Zachary Quinto in later seasons of NBC’s Heroes.
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In addition to confirming Clarkson as director, Pegg was able to say that the film is being written by Patrick McKay and John Payne, who previously worked on the initial scripts for Star Trek Beyond. That said, Pegg has no more solid information on the film, even though it feels like production has “turned a corner.” The fourth Star Trek film, prior to the release of Beyond, was said to potentially bring back Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk, father to Chris Pine’s James Kirk via time travel. No release date has been announced for the film.
[via TrekMovie]