New 'Star Trek' reboot has been paused

The planned reboot of the Star Trek movie franchise is said to have been shifted to the back burner, according to reports.

Both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter cite sources at the Paramount Studio revealing that a proposed movie from Noah Hawley, the creator of the Fargo TV series, has been paused.

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It's said that among the reasons for the delay is that the plot Hawley was working on pivoted on a universe-ravaging virus, which may not sit well given the current global pandemic.

It's also said that due to the pause in development, Hawley could be lost as the project's director.

The project was not the only potential avenue for the iconic sci-fi property.

It was reported back in 2017 that Quentin Tarantino was working with Mark L. Smith, writer of The Revenant, on a one-off movie.

Reportedly, it was based on episode of the original series which played out on an Earth-like planet in a 20s-eque gangster setting.

Another option for the franchise was thought to be reuniting the cast from the J.J. Abrams-created franchise, with Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, and a potential Chris Hemsworth returning to play Kirk's father.

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However, such a project would have to reckon with the tragic loss of Anton Yelchin, who played Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, but who died in 2016.

Hawley hinted that he would have been bringing in a brand new cast rather than re-use the cast of Abrams' movies.

The TV iteration of the show appears to be in better health, however, with Star Trek: Discovery emerging in 2017, and Star Trek: Picard seeing Sir Patrick Stewart returning to reprise his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, airing earlier this year.

A second season is expected to start filming soon, once coronavirus restrictions have been lifted in California, with a release plotted for late 2020 or early 2021.