There may not be any engaging happening in Star Trek 4 for franchise stars Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth. The two actors, the former of whom is a headline star in the J.J. Abrams rebooted Trek universe, have reportedly exited negotiations over a salary dispute.

Plans for a fourth film have been in the works since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, where it was announced that Hemsworth would be back. While there have been some positive signs that the film was going in the right direction, this latest development puts the entire sequel in question. More on the story here below.

THR says Pine and Hemsworth have walked away from the table because of money. Both are now A-list stars, with Pine picking up the Jack Ryan mantle for the Paramount action franchise as well as co-starring in DC/WB’s only major hit Wonder Woman, and Hemsworth most notably playing Thor in the highly lucrative and popular films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Pine has appeared in all three of the new Star Trek films, where he played Captain James T. Kirk, with Hemsworth opening 2009’s Star Trek as his George Kirk, who sacrificed his life to save his wife and newborn son. Rumors, which were never confirmed, were that Hemsworth would have returned through the help of time travel. Considering the latest development, though, that might not happen.

If that is the case, does that mean Pine and Hemsworth’s roles would be recast? Obviously, that remains to be seen. Pine and Hemsworth only walked away from the table, not their roles. There is a possibility that they could come back with new terms – or a better fee. But it doesn’t make much sense to continue on a franchise without its key players, most notably Pine as Kirk.

Pine reportedly already had signed on for the fourth film after Star Trek Beyond, while Hemsworth has been attached to upcoming sequel since Star Trek 4 was announced. Sources confirmed to THR that the actors already had deals set in place, but that the studio was now “reneging on them, forcing them to take pay cuts as they try to budget a movie that is following a mediocre performer.”

Stars Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, and John Cho are all expected to return and will negotiate their deals next for the new film.

The rebooted franchise as a whole has made over $1 billion worldwide; however, Star Trek Beyond is the lowest performing installment of the three, bringing in only $343 million on a $190 million budget. That’s less than the first Star Trek, which was able to gross $387 million — this according to Box Office Mojo. An insider told THR that Paramount lost money on Star Trek Beyond.

This is disappointing news to those who were looking forward to Star Trek 4. The sequel was supposed to be directed by S.J. Clarkson, who would be the first woman to direct a Star Trek film. So, we are just going to have to wait and see if Pine and Hemsworth are willing to work something out.

[Source: THR]