Paramount Expands ‘Star Trek’ Universe With New Film, ‘Andor’s Toby Haynes Tapped To Direct With Seth Grahame-Smith Writing

EXCLUSIVE: Even as it continues to develop the final chapter in its main Star Trek series, Paramount is looking to further explore the IP. The studio has tapped Toby Haynes to direct a new film that expands on the Star Trek universe, with Seth Grahame-Smith penning the script. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is producing.

Sources tell Deadline that while plot details are being kept under wraps, the project is an origin story that takes place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film that rebooted the franchise. Insiders add that the final chapter in that main series, Star Trek 4, remains in active development.

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Although there hasn’t been a film since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the brand remains as strong as its ever been behind popular Paramount+ shows like Picard and Strange New Worlds earning strong reviews and solid ratings. The Brian Robbins led-Paramount saw an opportunity to build on that popularity with multiple films in development the same way its streaming arm had multiple shows going at once.

In doing so, the studios hands over the reins to two individuals familiar with dealing with major IP. Haynes was the main director on the Star Wars series Andor, which has become one of the more critically acclaimed series in that own universe since Lucasfilm began developing series for Disney+. Andor is up for eight Emmys on Monday including Best Drama Series.

Smith made his big break as a novelist with hits like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and has since turned into one of the go-to writer-producers in the genre and fanboy worlds. His credits include producing It and penning The Lego Batman Movie.

Haynes and Smith are repped by WME. Haynes is also repped by Joe Phillips at Curtis Brown and attorney Peter Nelson, and Smith also by PJ Shapiro and Wendy Kirk.

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