Star Trek 4

It may seem a bit soon to be discussing the future of a franchise when the latest installment hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but the early buzz surrounding Star Trek Beyond is so positive that Paramount has already announced plans for Star Trek 4. Following the recent, tragic passing of Anton Yelchin, some fans have wondered how the Trek universe will address that loss, and producer J.J. Abrams has an answer.

Producer (and former franchise director) J.J. Abrams has been teasing it during the Star Trek Beyond press tour and now it’s official: The new Star Trek series (now often referred to as the “Kelvin Timeline” movies) will get a fourth installment. And much like the fourth installment of the original Trek franchise, this one will involve time travel. Via a press release:

Star Trek Beyond hasn’t even hit theaters yet, but there’s already talk of the next installment in the franchise — and if early reactions to Justin Lin’s new Trek sequel are to be believed, then we have every reason to be optimistic about the future of the series. But just in case you needed one more, J.J. Abrams has revealed his “incredibly exciting” idea for Star Trek 4, which will reportedly bring Chris Hemsworth back to the franchise to team up with Chris Pine.

The latest chapter of the current Star Trek saga doesn’t hit theaters until this summer, but it looks like Paramount is hedging their bets as the studio is already (reportedly) plotting the next installment in the franchise. Although fans don’t seem to be totally wowed by the trailers for Star Trek Beyond, it would appear that the studio is quite pleased with Justin Lin’s direction for the upcoming sequel — but with Lin attached to helm that new Space Jam movie (ugh, why), Paramount may need another director to take on Trek.