- [Narrator] This video is sponsored by Raid Shadow Legends.
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(light orchestral music)
- [Narrator 1] "Star Trek IV" is actually happening,
but it may have to go without fan favorite,
Karl Urban's Dr. McCoy character.
After several false starts
to include a wildly speculated Quentin Tarantino phase.
The long anticipated movie is actually happening.
In fact, you can set your calendars for December 23rd, 2023.
The Christmas release came as a pleasant surprise
not only to fans,
but also to the actors
who are supposed to be in the movie.
Yes, that's right.
Paramount announced the movie
before they bothered to check and see
if all the principal actors could even be in it.
Why would a studio do this?
The answer is troubling and the truth may surprise you.
With Chekov's character not being recast
due to the death of Anton Yelchin.
Can a new movie also survive
without one of the three Musketeers as well?
The magic in the relationship
between Kirk, Spock and Bones
was a key to the original series success
as well as the new rebooted movies.
The high octane classic love-hate bickering
between Spock and Bones.
During 2016's "Star Trek Beyond"
may have been the best part of the movie.
There are multiple red flags we are about to show you
but the news about Karl Urban
and his situation with "Star Trek IV"
may be the most troubling of all.
So you don't wanna miss this episode.
But before we break down Karl Urban
and everything you need to know about "Star Trek IV",
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- [Narrator 1] So when paramount and J.J. Abrams announced
that "Star Trek IV" was happening
during the ViacomCBS investor day presentation,
the wait was finally over.
Abrams who will be producing the new movie
told the audience that they were thrilled to be hard at work
on a new Star Trek film,
and that they would be shooting by the end of the year
and featuring our original cast.
Great news with two big problems.
First, the original cast hadn't been signed
and according to sources, most,
if not all of the franchise's primary talent
were not aware that an announcement
for another film was coming
nor that their names would be mentioned as part of the deal.
And apparently they also didn't bother to check
what key cast members might not be able
to join the film before making the announcement.
And that includes Karl Urban as Bones.
Urban has been in the biggest science fiction
and fantasy franchises of all time.
From the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy to "Thor",
"Star Trek" and even an uncredited role
as a storm trooper in "Star Wars: Episode IX".
Urban's face turns up in iconic places.
You can even trace his footprint
back to the "Hercules" and "Xena" TV shows
and even "Riddick" with Vin Diesel.
So the idea of doing Star Trek without Bones
and specifically Urban as Bones
is frankly unthinkable
but that is exactly what might happen.
During an interview with Urban,
who was promoting the upcoming season
of his superhero series, "The Boys",
at the South by Southwest Film Festival recently,
the actor shared concerns on his availability
to be in "Star Trek IV".
Urban told variety that he is shooting "The Boys"
through the end of the year.
"So I literally don't know.
I would love to work with those guys again.
They are so much fun, we'll see."
With paramount setting their release date in 2023,
it will make it impossible to get the movie out in time
unless filming begins before Urban can finish on "The Boys".
But the situation isn't impossible,
even if Urban is working on "The Boys",
accommodations could be made for him
to work on both projects.
They did the same thing for Zoe Saldaña,
who plays Uhura during the production
of the first Star Trek movie back in 2009.
She was also working on "Avatar".
The problem with Urban and "Star Trek IV"
is that "The Boys" is being filmed in Toronto, Canada.
But Chris Pine wants to shoot Star Trek in Los Angeles.
In a recent interview with Extra,
Pine explained that he wanted
to support the movie industry in Hollywood.
He made a plea for the California Tax Incentive
because all of Hollywood is leaving and going to England.
If Pine gets his way,
it will make it very difficult for Urban
to play Bones again.
But on a positive note,
the Star Trek universe has one foot firmly in Canada
with "Star Trek Beyond", "Star Trek Discovery"
and the upcoming "Star Trek Strange New Worlds"
all being filmed north of the border.
There is one other wrench in the Dr. McCoy machine,
Urban's "The Boys" character,
Billy Butcher has a beard
and trying remove that digitally
for Bones in Star Trek wouldn't be practical.
Of course, Dr. McCoy did have a full beard
in Star Trek the motion picture
when he was drafted to come back to star fleet
while rocking his disco era attire
complete with a groovy medallion.
But a "Star Trek IV" bearded Bones is very unlikely
and unless shooting schedules can be adjusted,
it will be a challenge to get Urban in the movie.
And I think we all can agree
that a Kirk and Spock Star Trek movie
without Dr. McCoy would destroy the magic
and leave fans feeling that something was missing.
So why would Paramount do this?
It's a huge risk to announce a movie
without actually knowing your actors can be in it
which is why we believe they likely didn't care.
Like it or not,
Star Trek streaming is good business
for the Paramount+ streaming service.
Paramount surpassed 32 million subscribers
by the end of 2021,
adding 7.3 million during the year.
Many of those looking for Star Trek TV shows
both all old and new.
We believe Paramount wants to continue curating content
for both Star Trek fans and their streaming service.
While capitalizing on the movie actors
for box office success
while they are still relatively young.
Abrams must have been very confident
he could get Pine back as Kirk
and Zachary Quinto back as Spock
before making this announcement
because there is no way fans show up
without both of them in the movie.
J.J. probably figured he could do a Star Trek movie
without everyone else and introduce new
and different characters if necessary.
The good news is Urban wants to be in the movie
and it's likely they will make concessions
to lock him down.
Likewise, Zoe Saldaña who played Uhura.
John Cho who played Sulu
and Simon Pegg who played Scotty is also likely to return.
According to Pine,
the cast is all excited to come back.
He said, they're a tight family.
They've been working together for 15 years
and they are ready to get back to work
and excited to see a script.
"Star Trek IV" failed to be green lit back in 2018
when Pine balked over salary negotiations.
While contracts are not yet signed,
fans can be assured Paramount
knows the actor's price target
and thanks to all the new streaming memberships,
isn't afraid to pay it.
So why are we getting the fourth iteration
of the Star Trek TOS Kelvin timeline
instead of something entirely different.
Apparently it was market research.
According to Variety,
insiders say the studio has done market research
to determine audience interest in the reboots,
considering the long waiting period
since "Star Trek Beyond" versus a totally new Trek film.
Understanding what audiences want was critical
to the studio since "Star Trek Beyond" actually lost money
but Paramount executives feel confident,
audience enthusiasm remains for a fourth movie.
Without a script,
there are still a lot of things that need to happen
before filming begins in the fall of 2022.
But with WandaVision's Matt Shakman in the director chair
and overseeing a script written by Josh Friedman
who wrote "Snow Piercer".
There is a lot to look forward to.
Plot details for the movie are thin at the moment
but it is expected to pick up following the events
of "Star Trek Beyond".
For now, we'll have to wait and see.
What do you think?
Was Paramount wise to bring back Pine and the crew?
Or should they have started over with something new?
Can the movie survive without Karl Urban as Bones?
Will Scotty still have that weird little sidekick?
Ooh, let's talk about it in the comments below.
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