EXCLUSIVE: After breathing new life into high-profile IP like the Spider-Man franchise and Dungeons & Dragons, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are looking to boldly go where no directors have gone before with a popular franchise. Sources tell Deadline that the duo are coming on to write, produce and are attached to direct a new original Star Trek film for Paramount. They will produce under their GoldDay banner.
Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, but sources say Goldstein and Daley’s film is a completely new take on the Star Trek universe and not connected to any previous or current television series, movie or prior movie development projects. That pitch falls in line with Skydance founder David Ellison’s recent comments on an earnings call where he said the next Star Trek film would not be a sequel in the Chris Pine-led series but something different with new actors.
While not confirmed, sources also add it’s likely that new characters will be featured in this version.
As for Goldstein and Daley, the two have shown a knack for delivering scripts with new and fresh takes on existing IP while also adding a fun and lightness that differentiated them from other films in the franchise. Films like Spider-Man: Homecoming, which the two wrote, and the recent Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which they also directed, earned strong marks from fans and critics for strong stories and fun, witty humor.
Goldstein and Daley also have strong ties to both Paramount and Skydance on recent projects. Dungeons & Dragons was one of Paramount’s best scored films from 2023 with a 91% from critics and 92% from audience members. As for Skydance, the pair recently wrote, produced and directed the original Cold War action comedy Mayday starring Ryan Reynolds. Sources say it tested through the roof in early screenings for Skydance and Apple, with plans to release it next year.
Goldstein and Daley are repped by CAA, Fourth Wall Management and Hansen Jacobson Teller.
