In a new interview with Consequence of Sound, Quentin Tarantino says he's "steering away" from his proposed R-rated Star Trek movie, and that his tenth (and, allegedly, final) film will likely be something smaller. We've been skeptical but hopeful about the idea of a QT Star Trek from the moment the idea got announced, but it sounds like it's finally time to stop holding our breath.
Adding that he's had no recent conversations with Paramount about the project (which has been gestating for the past few years, with a script written by The Revenant's Mark L. Smith), Tarantino also says that this year's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood may ultimately function as his last big cinematic statement, and that he's got no idea what the follow-up might entail:
“One of the things that Hollywood has done is that it has made me feel like I’ve made my big statement on Hollywood and that there is the accumulation of a career, accumulation of my interest, accumulation of the filmography. If the idea that all the films are a boxcar and it’s all one train, they’re all telling one story. Well, this is the climax, so I can actually see now my 10th movie probably being a little smaller.
You know, an author’s note. And look, I might come up with a really big idea. But right now, the idea of a smaller audience almost all the way around is appealing to me.”
This is, as we mentioned up top, not the biggest shock in the world. Tarantino making a big franchise movie his 10th and final film always seemed questionable, and even moreso given that he didn't write the script himself (worth noting: according to previous reports, Smith's script was based on an idea pitched by Tarantino himself). Furthermore, with every other iron Tarantino currently has in the fire (which includes a limited TV series, a novel, and a play), it's also easy to imagine the timeline on this project being a concern for Paramount.
In any event, until we hear otherwise, we're going to operate on the assumption that the Quentin Tarantino Star Trek project is no longer moving forward. In the meantime: anyone got a copy of Smith's script? We've heard some very intriguing rumblings re: the plot of that script, but sure would like to confirm those rumblings before sharing with the crowd.