Maybe Paramount should channel their Jack Ryan reboot energy into their own industry-inside story… call it The Hunt For A Decent Screenwriter. In Frebruary the project was at the shit or get off the pot point, which was forcing Paramount to shell out big bucks to have Steven Zaillian come in and polish the script in the few weeks left before their now-passed March start date. Apparently Zaillian walked, and now Deadline is reporting that the studio will temporarily abandon plans for the Chris Pine-centered reboot, as they remain focused more on “launching a new franchise then filling a release slot.” Shit’s got to wait till after Trek, is what it boils down to.
This isn’t monumentally shocking news, as it remains consistent with the story so far. This is a project that has weathered several different scripts and concepts, with just as many writers. This is the first I’ve heard of Abrams not necessarily being locked down for Star Trek 2 though, with Paramount eagerly awaiting a final decision from the director. Abrams is clearly focused on Super 8 for the moment with Star Trek still being many months off, but with no solid Jack Ryan script to shoot from the studio has no way to exploit their current darling Pine. The actor likely has plenty on his plate, and is presumably much more free to squeeze in a project or two before Star Trek.
I’m once again inclined to give Paramount a little gold star for what should be common practice, but decidedly isn’t in Hollywood. Three cheers for quitting while you’re ahead, and thinking twice before diving into a shoot with a half-baked script. It’s seemed to cause a few other productions no end of problems, so maybe the bigwigs are finally learning their lesson.
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