Director SJ Clarkson is in talks to helm the fourth installment in the Star Trek franchise for Paramount Pictures. If the deal is closed, she would become the first woman director to take charge of a movie in the long-running series, EW reported. Clarkson's directing credits include TV series such as Jessica Jones and Defenders. She has also directed episodes for House, Dexter, Orange Is the New Black, and, most recently, the entire BBC Two and Netflix miniseries Collateral.

In July 2016, the studio had announced that the next Star Trek chapter would see Chris Hemsworth return as George Kirk, the father of Captain James T Kirk (played by Chris Pine). Hemsworth's character was killed in the opening minutes of "Star Trek" 2009 reboot. The new movie will be a separate project from the more recently announced Quentin Tarantino film.