The idea of Quentin Tarantino not only pitching but possibly even directing a new Star Trek movie is still one of the most baffling things to come out of 2017, and it would be further evidence that the whole year has been some bizarre dream if we didn’t keep getting news stories like this one that claim the project is actually moving forward. The last big development on Tarantino’s Star Trek was that he had somehow convinced Paramount to let him make it R-rated, with insiders claiming that The Revenant writer Mark L. Smith was the studio’s top choice to write the screenplay.
Now, Deadline is reporting that Smith is officially on board, and he’ll write the screenplay while Tarantino works on his Charles Manson movie for Sony. Assuming Tarantino does follow through on his intention to direct, this will be one of only a handful of times Tarantino has ever directed something he didn’t also write. Deadline also points out that Smith’s Revenant script had very little dialogue, while Tarantino is often recognized for his verbosity, so it should be interesting to see how they fit together—especially considering that J.J. Abrams, a guy with his own particular style, is attached as a producer.
Speaking of things that should be interesting to see: We still don’t know a single damn thing about this movie, other than the fact that Tarantino’s idea was so great that he was able to win over Paramount and convince them to make it R-rated. It could be totally bananas, with a star captain slaughtering sci-fi Nazis with a samurai sword, or it could be some kind of back-to-basics approach that also has a lot of nudity and cussing. We have no idea, and our assumptions are just going to get wackier until Paramount gives up some plot details.