Star Trek 4 Hits A Snag

[Rahul]

It really shouldn't be. You pay Pine and recast George Kirk, who was only in the first ten minutes of the first movie. I don't think Hemsworth is going to be the draw Paramount thinks he is. Because he isn't bringing the Marvel universe with him.

If it were down to me, I would try to make a movie with Pine and without Hemsworth. I love Hemsworth, but he isn't needed as much as Kirk.

The problem is that it was probably the Pine/Hemsworth combo + finished script that made willing to pay some money in the first place. But still apparently not enough to pay them properly. Without them, the whole project might fall apart. There simply isn't enough time to write a completely new script and hit the release date, and without that and the big names, Paramount might simply not be capable of finding enough money to make that movie. They already aren't - otherwise they wouldn't try to renege from their original deals with Hemsworth and Pine - but at the moment they are just a little short.

Again, the solution is pretty simple: Give the actors shares of the box office, if you can't pay them now. But it might be hard to get to that solution, as apparently either someone at Paramount or the investors aren't willing to give up their share of the (not-yet-assured) profits.

 

[jaime]

If it were down to me, I would try to make a movie with Pine and without Hemsworth. I love Hemsworth, but he isn't needed as much as Kirk.

The problem is that it was probably the Pine/Hemsworth combo + ready script that made investors give them money in the first place. But still apparently not enough to pay them properly. Without them, the whole project might fall apart. There simply isn't enough time to write a completely new script and hit the release date, and without that and the big names, Paramount might simply not be capable of finding enough money to make that movie. They already aren't - otherwise they wouldn't try to renege from their original deals with Hemsworth and Pine - but at the moment they are just a little short.

Again, the solution is pretty simple: Give the actors shares of the box office, if you can't pay them now. But it might be hard to get to that solution, as apparently either someone at Paramount or the investors aren't willing to give up their share of the (not-yet-assured) profits.

That and Hollywood accounting has been known to screw actors with that deal before.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Youtube i watched said theat the current investors are on bord becuase paramount sold them a Pine/Hemsworth feature, so once one or both of them fall out, the investors will be unhappy and may pull their money out, or chose not to trust these particular producers in the future if the money is locked.

Was it Midnight's Edge?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Was it Midnight's Edge?

Yup.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

Midnight’s Edge are hack frauds. Let’s not legitimize them.

 

[Khan 2.0]

SJ Clarkson listed as potential Bond 25 director https://www.empireonline.com/movies...-sj-clarkson-bart-layton-potential-directors/

 

[Malaika]

Not only we may lose the actors, but now the director too

 

[Khan 2.0]

Not only we may lose the actors, but now the director too

anyday now Para prob just gonna cancel it and wait for Tarantino

 

[N-121973]

anyday now Para prob just gonna cancel it and wait for Tarantino

Am I right in thinking they can't wait too long for him because if they don't churn out fresh material, they lose the right to make more?

 

[JKM]

New update: https://trekmovie.com/2018/09/06/chris-pine-says-he-would-love-to-do-star-trek-4/

Walking the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) today, Chris Pine spoke publicly for the first time about the impasse with Paramount. Variety had a chance to ask Pine “what’s happening” with Star Trek 4, to which the actor replied:

I don’t know. I would love to be involved and we will see what happens. I’ll await the phone call. Until then, I look forward to it.​

Sounds like his agent and Paramount are probably still haggling...we can hope.

 

[CorporalClegg]

 

[Kirk Prime]

I think Pine will work something out. Kirk is too important of a character. No matter how much they try, this will never be Uhura: Communications In Space.

If Paramount promised Pine a certain amount of dollars, Pine has a point for walking away. However, given that these movies did not perform anywhere near what they should have, circumstances have changed and Pine may be making too much for what the box office could be. After all, no studio is looking to lose money.

It's a nine figure investment, and it's foolish to invest those monies if the box office return doesn't yield enough of a profit to satisfy that investment.

So Paramount would also have a point to say, "we just can't justify this expense." Changing circumstances are a reality.

Maybe Paramount should pay more than they want, but Pine should take less than he wants. Compromises happen in every industry. I would like to think Pine does not want to be responsible for all the people who lose their jobs because he can't work something out. And Pine likely stands to make millions on this, so I doubt he wants to walk away from that as well.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Pine should not compromise. He did the work and the studio gave him a deal and they should honor that. No one should be justifying the studios reasons to not pay an employee what they earned. Pine is a busy actor and he doesn't need Star Trek, and if it doesn't work out the franchise will go on.

 

[gottacook]

Don't think of Pine as the prime mover here; it's just as likely his agent, who surely wants his client to have greater success so that he can keep getting his percentage. I think the likelihood that Pine is simply taking his agent's advice (which may or may not have a sound basis) is greater than the likelihood that, on his own initiative, he's negotiating his way out of what might be the best thing he ever would get.

Either way, however, it follows that Pine and his agent would have reached the conclusion that the size of the core Kelvin-movie fan group isn't all that great (in terms of how large a crowd Paramount might attract to a fourth movie), hence little downside to walking away from the role.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Don't think of Pine as the prime mover here; it's just as likely his agent, who surely wants his client to have greater success so that he can keep getting his percentage. I think the likelihood that Pine is simply taking his agent's advice (which may or may not have a sound basis) is greater than the likelihood that, on his own initiative, he's negotiating his way out of what might be the best thing he ever would get.

So, don't think of Pine's agent as representing Pine. Got it.

 

[JKM]

Don't think of Pine as the prime mover here; it's just as likely his agent, who surely wants his client to have greater success so that he can keep getting his percentage. I think the likelihood that Pine is simply taking his agent's advice (which may or may not have a sound basis) is greater than the likelihood that, on his own initiative, he's negotiating his way out of what might be the best thing he ever would get.

Either way, however, it follows that Pine and his agent would have reached the conclusion that the size of the core Kelvin-movie fan group isn't all that great (in terms of how large a crowd Paramount might attract to a fourth movie), hence little downside to walking away from the role.

That is not it at all, going off Paramount's previous behavior. It could be a slight consideration on his agents part but definitely not the driving factor. Previous articles on this topic, suggest its probably Paramount trying to rip him off because they have before. First they tried to pay all their actors the same salary as ten years previous for Beyond, ignoring how much bigger a star Pine had become or any other cast for that matter. Then when that didn't go over well, they gave him a raise, but locked him in for Star Trek 4 as well as Beyond for a certain salary. They are now trying to renege on that. It's not Pine's fault or his agent that Paramount was stupid enough to not include some kind of codicil that said if Beyond tanked the salary would be lower. That is when they should have negotiated for ST4. Not after they signed a contract and now decided that don't want to up hold it.

 

[STEPhon IT]

If Paramount attempted that stipulation on salaries if the Beyond tanked, the actors would've never signed it because THAT stipulation is stupid. Not even you would agree to that, JKM. Come on.

 

[JKM]

I don't know, I'm not in that business, if they promised 7mil and negotiated for a percentage less if Beyond under-performed by a certain amount, it would be considered. My point was, they should have negotiated that before signing a contract. Not refusing to up hold it later.

 

[STEPhon IT]

And we would've never gotten Star Trek Beyond, employees don't negotiate for less.

 

[gottacook]

If it's as simple as Paramount reneging on the existing contract with Pine, all that means is that the nature of the impasse - irrespective of any negotiations that took place when Beyond was about to be released - is whether Pine can be given a profit share to balance out a lower fee. Whether Paramount can offer a substantial-enough share, in turn, depends on ticket sales projections. Such projections might give very little consideration to how well Beyond did, now that there would be a 3- to 4-year interval from Beyond to any fourth picture; these days, in terms of what competing studios offer, that's a ludicrously long gap, of the sort that only the Mission: Impossible series has gotten away with among worldwide top-selling movies. Presumably the quality of the script is a consideration, but if Kirk's dad is too expensive, there goes the one script they had.

I don't envy anyone involved. But it's not as though Paramount hasn't mismanaged a Trek movie series before.