The Hollywood Reporter claims that director Matt Shakman, who was set to helm a new Star Trek picture for Paramount, has backed out of the project. Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk debuted in Star Trek (2009), hence this picture would have been the fourth in the series. To add insult to injury, Marvel now revealed that they’re in discussions with Shakman to helm their next Fantastic Four film. Due to schedule issues with the Fantastic Four picture, Shakman stepped out as director of Paramount’s unnamed Star Trek feature. According to a previous report by Deadline, Shakman is in preliminary discussions to direct the next instalment in the Fantastic Four film franchise.
Despite the lack of an official announcement, the fact that Shakman has abandoned Star Trek suggests that a transaction is getting closer to being finalised. According to an official statement released by Paramount, the studio said, “We are grateful for his many contributions, are excited about the creative vision of this next chapter, and look forward to bringing it to audiences all over the world. ” Matt Shakman is an incredibly talented filmmaker, and we regret the timing didn’t align for him to direct our upcoming Star Trek film. Time will tell if this announcement affects the December 23, 2023 release date for the Shakman-directed Star Trek film, which had many directors vying for the job before Paramount settled on Shakman, including Quentin Tarantino and Noah Hawley.
Shakman has directed the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series for Disney+, WandaVision, which debuted in early 2021. It won’t be the first time someone has tried to adapt the Fantastic Four for the big screen. Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, and Jessica Alba starred in Tim Story’s 2005 Fantastic Four picture. In 2007, a follow-up titled Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer was released. 20th Century Fox, however, brought in a fresh cast including Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell in 2015 to start the series over.
Shakman is well-known outside of the MCU for his work as a television director on shows like Game of Thrones, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Fargo. With the Fantastic Four picture, Shakman will have directed two full-length features. Kevin Fiege confirmed the debut date of the Fantastic Four film as November 8, 2024, during this summer’s San Diego Comic-Con. Even if the cast hasn’t been revealed just yet, finding a director brings the viewers one step closer to that.