New Star Trek Movie Described as Crimson Tide Meeting Training Day

After more than a decade of waiting, a new theatrically released Star Trek movie may finally happen. The directors of the only known Star Trek movie in development, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, recently shared details about their project. The pair helming the new Trek film broke down the movie’s influences in an interview with Inverse.

Specifically, they cited Training Day and Crimson Tide as jumping-off points for their approach.

What are Training Day and Crimson Tide about?

Training Day stars Ethan Hawke as a newcomer Los Angeles Police Department narcotics officer under the tutelage of the corrupt detective Alonzo Harris, played by Denzel Washington. Crimson Tide is a thriller about a United States nuclear submarine facing off against a Russian ultranationalist faction threatening to launch nuclear weapons at the United States and Japan. It also stars Washington.

As for how the Training Day influence will show up in the film, John Francis Daley said the movie will center on some of the bad apples in Starfleet. John Francis Daley told Inverse that the project examines the institution of Starfleet and any long-existing institution as a whole. While the portrayal of Starfleet and its workers has historically presented an idealized version of the future, the script acknowledges that bad apples exist in every institution and can leave a strong impact.

Past Star Trek movies have dealt with Starfleet bad apples before to varying levels of success, including Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Into Darkness. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have another twist on the Star Trek formula.

John Francis Daley stated that the movie takes place almost in real time and offers another look at what a Star Trek movie could be without betraying its fundamentals.

The pair added that the film will center on all-new Star Trek characters. Jonathan Goldstein explained that they do not want to rely on fandom or simply hope for enough fans of the original series or The Next Generation to show up. They want to make a great movie that lives in a familiar world for some people and a discovery for others, launching a new franchise into existence with good fortune.

What movies are Daley and Goldstein known for?

Although the film remains in development, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein bring a strong track record from their recent work. The pair previously co-directed and co-wrote Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which starred former James T. Kirk actor Chris Pine. Before that, they co-directed the action comedy Game Night, and their theatrical release Mayday also received positive reviews.

Without John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s film, Star Trek would risk going on ice. Aside from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy, both of which conclude after their upcoming seasons, no announced television series are currently in the works.

Source: Polygon