So the web is buzzing with news that Quentin Tarantino is considering Star Trek film as his final film. Deadline reports the director is pitched his idea to J.J. Abrams directly. In turn Abrams assembled his his writers to hear out his pitch. I, for one, am pretty skeptical about this news. Why? Tarantino has a habit of associating his name with big franchises ahead of his own releases. It wasn’t long ago that we were contemplating how Quentin Tarantino would approach James Bond for Casino Royale while he was preparing other projects.
It’s not that I don’t believe that Q.T. is interested in the projects. I feel that this is, in part, a marketing ploy. Q.T.’s name tends to cool off on the interwebs in between his releases. One proven way of raising his profile again is to name drop a big franchise. It’s a smart tactic but after being disappointed so many times in the past I’ve learned to take a “wait and see” approach with this guy.
The idea of Tarantino doing Star Trek is curious. The often dialogue driven writer does not immediately seem like a great fit for the now action oriented Star Trek film franchise. I would love to see an exchange between Spock and Kirk written by Tarantino but what would that look like if he had to tone down the language? Are audiences ready for a return to a more dialogue driven Star Trek film? How would Tarantino’s old school 35MM type approach look in a lens flare heavy 21st century Star Trek movie?
Honestly, this just doesn’t seem like a good fit. It’s a cool concept but also an odd one. I also find it hard to believe that Paramount wasn’t already spit-balling their own ideas for a 4th Star Trek movie. Do film studios actually drop everything just because Tarantino has an idea?
So many questions, not enough answers. I’ll keep this one on my ‘radar’ but I certainly won’t hold my breath.
Tarantino explaining Top Gun:
That’s all for now…
[The Film Stage]
