‘WandaVision’ director to helm new ‘Star Trek’ film

After spearheading WandaVision, one of Disney and Marvel’s most Emmy nominated TV series, Matt Shackman is now beaming up onto the USS Enterprise.

Shackman has made a deal with Paramount and JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot to direct the upcoming new Star Trek feature film.

The new installment in the classic space franchise will have Lindsey Beer from Netflix’s Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, and the MCU’s Captain Marvel screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet, for the script. This is the first time for a Star Trek film to have female screenwriters at the helm.

As for Shackman, before landing a directing job with Marvel, he directed a few episodes for the following big shows: Game of Thrones, Fargo, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The film still remains untitled while its plot and actors are yet to be disclosed. However, it was reported that filming might start next spring or around March to June next year.

The last time audiences saw Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew warp speed through space in a film was Star Trek Beyond. The film was released in 2016, making it five years since Paramount had any Star Trek films in its roster. Sadly, the third film in the rebooted franchise earned the lowest compared to its first two outings. In addition, back in March 2020, Simon Pegg who played Scotty, Enterprise’s chief engineer in the three films, said that a fourth sequel was highly unlikely because “Star Trek movies don't make Marvel money.”

For Trek fanatics, although it isn’t a confirmed sequel to the first three from the reboot, a new film in the well-beloved universe produced by a new team is better news than none.