With only one film left in his arsenal, Quentin Tarantino will part ways with directing, as being a cinephile himself, he wants to end things at the top of his game. And while his films are known for their neo-noir violence and razor-sharp dialogue, Tarantino wasn’t too far away from delving into the realm of sci-fi, which The Revenant screenwriter said would’ve been immaculate.
Back in 2017, fans were ecstatic after it was revealed the director was actively working on a Star Trek film, however, it never came to fruition. And it appears, the Oscar Winner’s fixation on maintaining a perfect filmography pushed him to part ways with the project.
Quentin Tarantino Couldn’t Bring Himself to Conclude His Filmography With Star Trek
Being a Star Trek fan himself, who grew up watching the show, it’s evident Quentin Tarantino was passionate about his story for the iconic IP. But considering the Pulp Fiction director was fixated on parting ways with filmmaking after his 10th film, he just couldn’t see himself ending his legacy with a Star Trek entry. While Tarantino did come close, as he joined forces with The Revenant screenwriter Mark L. Smith, who was tasked to craft a script based on the director’s pitch, which impressed J.J. Abrams, Tarantino eventually quit. Mark L. Smith recalled (via Collider),
“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?’ And I think that was the bump he could never get across, so the script is still sitting there on his desk.”
With The Movie Critic set to be Tarantino’s final outing, which will conclude his iconic filmography, it’s a shame we might never see his version of Star Trek, which was deemed great by Smith.
The Scrapped Film Would’ve Been the Greatest Star Trek Entry Said Mark L. Smith
Recounting the scrapped film, Mark L. Smith explained the Django Unchained creator’s interpretation of the iconic IP would’ve been a hard R, comprising some Pulp Fiction violence. Further expressing his laudation for the director’s vision, Smith deemed the scrapped film the greatest Star Trek film, which unfortunately never saw the end of the day. He said,
“It’s just one of those things that I can’t ever see happening. But it would be the greatest ‘Star Trek’ film, not for my writing, but just for what Tarantino was gonna do with it. It was just a balls-out kind of thing.”
While the sci-fi epic will never grace the silver screen following his fixation on maintaining an immaculate filmography, fans can expect Tarantino to deliver again with his forthcoming The Movie Critic.
