Quentin Tarantino’s “Star Trek” film was unusual in that instead of writing the script, he left those duties up to Mark L. Smith. During his interview with Collider, Smith said that Tarantino was naturally trying to make the film in conjunction with filmmaker J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company. Bad Robot produced the first three “Star Trek” reboot films that began in 2009, starring Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock.
One of the hangups during the process, Smith explained, was Tarantino’s insistence that he was going to retire after making 10 feature films. As far back as 2012, Tarantino said that he wanted to stop at a certain point, suggesting that 10 films may be his limit. Following his ninth feature, 2019’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” Tarantino appeared to be keeping his promise, skipping the “Star Trek” sequel in favor of his upcoming swan song, “The Movie Critic.”
After writing the script, Smith said that Tarantino began contemplating his rule of 10 and whether he wanted the “Star Trek” feature to be his last. “I remember we were talking, and he goes, ‘If I can just wrap my head around the idea that “Star Trek” could be my last movie, the last thing I ever do. Is this how I want to end it?'” Smith told Collider. “And I think that was the bump he could never get across, so the script is still sitting there on his desk.”
