Three films is hardly laden with backstory. If anything it would be a lot easier to go in with established, relatively iconic characters than to have to spend a fair chunk of the film setting up a whole new batch.
This is an interesting statement that could possibly warrant it's own topic. Beyond didn't do too well at the box office but it was a darn good movie. I get Joe Public doesn't seem to be as interested in Star Trek compared to say DC/Marvel, Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts or Star Wars (we all know JJ's preference with the latter!)
Since CBS took over TOS has been the flagship brand for Trek. Yes TNG merchandise sells but it always comes back to Kirk and Spock - specifically 5YM era. Discovery is set 10 years prior so they can play in that timestream. I grew up with TNG/DS9 and VOY, fell out with ENT, but got into TOS a few years later with the New Voyages fan series. This got me pumped for the 2009 movie, which I have a nostalgia for when I see it now, weirdly. That did very well as did Into Darkness.
Would the public but another Kelvin Universe film? If not then what would they take? A TNG reboot – the show was very popular and still sells merchandise, it was only DS9, VOY and ENT that they didn’t really try with after they finished, the former two shows haven’t got blu ray releases. Or another TOS reboot tailored to Tarantino’s vision (Within 10 years Spider-Man had Maguire and Holland with Garfield in-between, likewise Affleck debuted 4 years after Bale as Batman so turnaround can be quick with reboots)? Or a new crew/post-TNG movie?
There are some franchises that I am surprised are still running, namely for example Transformers. So if they can survive surely Kelvin Trek can? If not I wonder what the future of Movie Trek holds, Pine and Quinto won’t be there forever
Suggesting that something being "too old and laden with backstory to attract new viewers" for something that will only be 11 years old with three entries under its belt in 2020 is a very interesting statement. Particularly when discussing a franchise that will be 54 years old and well over 700 entries in its belt. If that were the case, we wouldn't be discussing Trek in any form at the moment.
Reading your responses, I feel I need to clarify:
The Kelvin-Trek universe, at this point, IS as I said "only a faded memory in mainstream audiences' mind" and "simply
too old and
too laden with backstory" for a new movie in 2020. It's not the three movies. It's the time since we saw them the last time.
What do I mean by that?
The backstory/internal continuity of the Kelvin movies is no more an issue than the one of the TNG movies was after "Nemesis", or of the TOS crew after "The Undiscovered Country". The simple fact is: We already
have three movies of plot points and character development. If those movies were still on fire, growing audiences and each earning more than it's predecessor, adding a fourth one would be a no-brainer.
But the Kelvin movies have run their course. At least in the minds of the general public. There simply isn't enugh buzz to attract new viewers for a dwindling franchise. At the time of Beyond, mainstream reaction generally was "just another Star Trek movie", and people didn't go into it because it didn't feel special, or they were afraid of the Trek tropes and clichés - already forgetting that this series
specifically started out to avoid the nerdy-label with ST09.
If they want to make a new Trek movie, it needs to be another huge "splash" - and a clean cut - to attract new audiences. Just switching the director but keeping everything else the same won't do it - they already tried that with "Beyond". This potential new Trek movie needs a bigger change than, say, "Ragnarok" did to the Thor franchise (Those already were "too laden with backstory" after only
two movies to get a "normal" sequel - as was IMO Trek after Into Darkness). A much bigger change. A fresh, new start. Theoretically, Tarantino
could do a "quasi" reboot, keeping the same cast and changing everything else. But the chances are slim.
The chances for a new Kelvin movie are IMO equally high as for a new TNG movie, or a continuation of ENT. It's just not going to happen. Not because three previous movies are "too much backstory", but simply because it's really friggin' hard to continue a story once everyone thinks it has ended.
IF we are going to see the Kelvin-cast again, it's probably in some kind of "event"-movie, a big crossover, and not a clean continuation. Say, the Kelvin cast meets the prime cast, or a time travel story involving the TNG cast. Or hell, maybe even a TNG/DS9/VOY crossover-movie.
But I think it's more likely Tarantino will be doing is his own thing. Heaviliy inspired by what came previously, but with a clear start and a clean backstory. Think of "Django: Unchained"'s relationship to the original Italian Django movies.
