The expansive Kill Invoice saga begins with white textual content in opposition to a black display that reads “Revenge is a dish greatest served chilly – Previous Klingon Proverb” In a single sentence, the Kill Invoice saga defines its vengeance-driven focus, nevertheless it additionally establishes that author/director Quentin Tarantino is a dyed within the wool Trekkie. Granted, no person needs to be shocked {that a} man who wrote a Silver Surfer screenplay within the Nineteen Nineties would even be dedicated to Star Trek, however Kill Invoice offered definitive proof to these nonetheless doubtful. For a short interval within the 2010s, Tarantino acquired to stay out the fantasy of each Star Trek fan by taking the reins on a brand new Star Trek film.
In December 2017, the information broke that Tarantino himself had approached Paramount Footage with a really distinctive thought for a Star Trek film. Understandably, the studio responded enthusiastically to the idea of a Tarantino Star Trek movie and Mark L. Smith was employed to pen the screenplay for the movie. At any level after Pulp Fiction dropped into film theaters, the idea of Tarantino doing Star Trek would’ve been catnip for Paramount. Nevertheless, the idea was additional attractive to this studio at this second as a result of, only a month earlier, Paramount, together with a number of different studios, had been overwhelmed out by Sony/Columbia to the rights for the following Tarantino characteristic, As soon as Upon a Time…in Hollywood.
The importance of the property to the studio was additional underscored by then-Paramount Footage head Jim Gianopulos in a New York Occasions profile in January 2019. This prolific determine used the notion of a Tarantino Star Trek movie for example of the sort of distinctive auteur-driven initiatives that Paramount needed to make a precedence sooner or later. Being the house of a possible future manufacturing helmed by probably the most acclaimed American administrators of recent Hollywood was additionally a good way to make sure that Paramount, regardless of its fixed field workplace woes within the 2010s, nonetheless regarded like a viable film studio to the broader movie trade.
Regardless of having a lot significance to Paramount Footage, there was minimal motion on Tarantino’s Star Trek challenge instantly after its announcement. This was to be anticipated provided that his subsequent directorial effort was at all times meant to be As soon as Upon a Time…in Hollywood, with this era piece taking on the entire man’s focus for the foreseeable future. Tarantino confirmed as a lot in April 2019, when he famous that, as soon as he was completed with Rick Dalton and firm, he can be reconvening with Paramount Footage about the potential of directing one thing involving the Star Trek universe. Two months later, Tarantino confirmed that his Star Trek movie, like all of his directorial efforts, can be rated R, a far cry from the earliest installments of this saga that had garnered PG rankings.
The underlying significance of a challenge that Tarantino wouldn’t be capable of decide to for some time was underscored just some months earlier than these remarks when a proposed Star Trek Past sequel helmed by S.J. Clarkson collapsed. Whereas only a 12 months earlier Star Trek actors like Zachary Quinto had been speaking overtly about how there have been so many screenplays for brand new Star Trek motion pictures buzzing round, choices for the way forward for this franchise instantly acquired far more restricted. For a second, earlier than Noah Hawley’s Star Trek film was introduced, it regarded like Tarantino’s idea for an installment on this franchise was the one plan for forthcoming Star Trek adventures on the desk.
Regardless of how a lot significance was using on Tarantino’s Star Trek, each for this particular person franchise and Paramount Footage as a studio, there was at all times uncertainty hovering over the concept of this proposed challenge ever current. It wasn’t that Tarantino’s love for Star Trek was doubtful and even that Paramount Footage wouldn’t need to make the film. Sadly, although, Tarantino had usually brushed up in opposition to well-known franchises and model names however, for a mess of causes, by no means gotten to make installments in these sagas.
As an example, Tarantino as soon as deliberate to make a movie adaptation of the TV present The Man From U.N.C.L.E. nevertheless it by no means acquired off the bottom. There was additionally the time he was extremely considering engaged on a James Bond film within the type of On line casino Royale, whereas the filmmaker was even given the possibility to helm a film based mostly on the DC Comics character Sgt. Rock for Warner Bros. Tarantino had at all times expressed enthusiasm for these ideas, however whether or not by his wishes or exterior forces, the director at all times ended up directing unique works that had been impressed by traditional items of popular culture. This monitor document didn’t bode nicely for the prospect of audiences ever seeing a Quentin Tarantino Star Trek characteristic on the large display.
In November 2019, the worst-case final result lastly got here to cross when Tarantino instructed Consequence of Sound that he was trying to “steer away” from his proposed Star Trek film. Although he wasn’t saying it was lifeless or that he’d formally by no means do it, the phrasing was not longing for any Trekkies eager to see this challenge come to fruition. A couple of months later, Tarantino would put the nail within the coffin of this weird thought for a blockbuster by confirming that he wouldn’t be helming this characteristic, although he may think about Mark L. Smith’s script getting helmed by one other filmmaker. With that, Tarantino’s Star Trek joined Sgt. Rock and Silver Surfer as Tarantino motion pictures that had been by no means meant to be.
In August 2021, Smith spilled the beans on what this proposed Tarantino Star Trek film would’ve regarded like by revealing that it could’ve been fixated on time journey and been primarily impressed by gangster motion pictures. In reality, Tarantino had deliberate out a complete sequence of gangster film dialogue already when he first referred to as up Smith about the potential of him writing a script for the proposed challenge. He additionally reaffirmed that this movement image would’ve starred Kirk and the unique Enterprise gang, although there was no speak about if it could’ve concerned the Kelvin timeline model of those characters.
The unmade Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie is an enchanting factor to ponder. On the one hand, Tarantino is so good at making unique and distinctive characters emerge from the molds of classic artwork that it appears like a reduction he didn’t get saddled in a pre-established universe. It’s far more attention-grabbing to see him use recognizable motion pictures and TV reveals as a leaping off level for one thing new moderately than be constrained to what’s already labored up to now. Alternatively, it’ll at all times be tempting to think about what such an odd detour from the franchise’s norms may’ve regarded like. Although this characteristic will at all times stay a risk moderately than a actuality, Tarantino’s love for Star Trek will stay on in different methods, like that opening textual content to Kill Invoice.
