Paramount has announced a whole bevy of new projects on the horizon! Let’s go through ’em.
Chris Pine returns for a fourth Star Trek movie
The biggest announcement to come out of yesterday’s ViacomCBS Investors Event is probably that, after years in development hell, we’re finally getting a new Star Trek movie starring the Kelvin crew: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and Karl Urban as Captain Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Sulu and McCoy respectively.
The Star Trek film franchise has languished since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, even as Trek shows have exploded on Paramount+. We don’t have any story details about the new movie yet, but we do have a release date: December 22, 2023.
Three new Transformers projects are in the works
Speaking of sci-fi, we also got new info about upcoming Transformers projects. The next movie in the franchise, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, will be coming out in 2023. It’ll be the first movie in a new trilogy.
In addition, Nickelodeon and Hasbro are making an animated series called Transformers: EarthSpark. It will be set on modern-day Earth, include Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, and run for at least 26 episodes. It will revolve around “the first Transformers robots to be born on Earth.”
Finally, Paramount Animation and eOne are making an animated Transformers movie set to drop into theaters on July 19, 2024. That’s a lotta transforming robots.
Six horrifying words: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cinematic Universe
Sticking with kids shows, we already know of two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies in the works: an animated film produced by Seth Rogen and a live-action picture written by Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost and his brother Casey.
Now, there will also be a series of spinoffs about villains from the franchise coming to Paramount+. The best-known TMNT villain is the Shredder, but there are others, including brain-who-lives-in-a-robot-body Krang, Bebop And Rocksteady, and more.
A Teen Wolf reunion movie is coming, but not all the main cast members are returning
Paramount+ is getting (most of) the Teen Wolf cast back together for a revival movie. Deadline lays out the premise:
"A full moon rises in Beacon Hills, and with it a terrifying evil has emerged. The wolves are howling once again, calling for the return of banshees, werecoyotes, hellhounds, kitsunes, and every other shapeshifter in the night. But only a werewolf like Scott McCall (Posey), no longer a teenager yet still an alpha, can gather both new allies and reunite trusted friends to fight back against what could be the most powerful and deadliest enemy they’ve ever faced."
Returning cast members include:
- Tyler Posey as Scott McCall
- Holland Roden as Lydia Martin
- Shelley Hennig as Malia Tate
- Crystal Reed as Allison Argent
- Orny Adams as Coach Bobby Finstock
- Linden Ashby as Sheriff Noah Stilinski
- JR Bourne as Chris Argent
- Seth Gilliam as Dr. Alan Deaton
- Colton Haynes as Jackson Whittemore
- Ryan Kelley as Deputy Jordan Parrish
- Melissa Ponzio as Melissa McCall
- Dylan Sprayberry as Liam Dunbar
Missing from that list are original series cast members Dylan O’Brien, Arden Cho and Tyler Hoechlin, although apparently Hoechlin may yet join. In addition, creator Jeff Davis is working on a brand new series called Wolf Pack.
Halo already renewed for a second season
One big show coming to Paramount+ is Halo, an adaptation of the popular first-person shooter series. Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) and Cortana (Jen Taylor) will be kicking alien butt starting March 27.
But Paramount+ is already laying track for more by giving the series an early season 2 renewal, which means the show could explore the sequel games like Halo 2 and Halo: Reach.
Five terrifying words: Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe
Finally, although Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (that would be the movie, not the 30-year-old video game) doesn’t premiere until April 8, Paramount has gone ahead given the green light to a third film. We have a franchise on our hands, folks.
And what does that mean? Spinoffs! In addition to the movie, there will also be a Paramount+ spinoff series about Knuckles, the pugilistic red echidna voiced in the upcoming movie by Idris Elba. Naturally, Elba will return for the TV show.
Paramount stock tumbles after new content is revealed
So that’s a lot of new movies and TV shows on the horizon for ViacomCBS (which has officially renamed itself Paramount, by the way), and we’re only covering the nerdy stuff.
So did all this convince investors that Paramount is going to the moon? Apparently not, as Deadline reports that stock in the company tumbled by 20% after this presentation. Maybe the investors wanted a Tails spinoff instead.
To be fair, the tumble seems to have less to do with the quality of the content and more with investors’ concerns about Paramount’s cash flow and growth…although of course, all this content is what Paramount hopes will net it cash and help it grow in the long term.
Interfacing with high finance types is generally bad for the soul, so we can probably leave it here. Does anything on this list interest you?
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
h/t SyFy Wire, ScreenRant, The A.V. Club, Deadline