Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a fresh Star Trek film, tapping writers and directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley to helm the project. The duo, known for their work on Spider-Man: Homecoming and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, will write, produce, and direct an original story unconnected to prior franchise entries. This marks a shift away from previous stalled developments, aligning with new studio leadership's push to revitalize the series.
Project Overview
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are attached to write, produce, and direct a new original Star Trek movie for Paramount Pictures. Sources describe it as a completely new take on the Star Trek universe, independent of existing television series, previous films, or other development projects like the abandoned Kelvin timeline sequel or the Star Trek Origin story. While plot details remain under wraps, it's likely to feature new characters, ruling out reboots of familiar casts such as Chris Pine's Captain Kirk.
The film will be produced under the duo's GoldDay banner. This development follows Skydance founder David Ellison's recent comments during an earnings call, where he emphasized creating something different from the Chris Pine-led series, involving new actors to bring fresh energy to the franchise.
Background on the Filmmakers
Goldstein and Daley have a track record of refreshing established IPs with humor and strong storytelling. They co-wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), which launched Tom Holland's iteration of the web-slinger, and directed Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) for Paramount, earning 91% on Rotten Tomatoes for its witty ensemble adventure—starring Chris Pine, among others. Their ties to Paramount and Skydance strengthen the partnership; the latter studio backed their upcoming Cold War comedy Mayday, starring Ryan Reynolds, set for release in 2026 after strong test screenings.
Franchise Context
Star Trek's last theatrical outing was 2016's Star Trek Beyond, after which multiple sequel attempts, including a time-travel story with Chris Hemsworth as Kirk's father and Quentin Tarantino's gangster-themed pitch, fell through. Recent TV expansions on Paramount+—like Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds—have sustained the brand, but films have been a priority for the studio post-Skydance's August 2025 takeover. No release date or casting has been announced, but this project signals Paramount's commitment to holistic integration of Trek across screens.