“WandaVision” Director Matt Shakman Will Helm Next “Star Trek” Film

When we spoke to WandaVision director Matt Shakman way back in late May, Shakman explained how the Disney+ show was essentially his dream job. Now, a mere day after his efforts earned him an Emmy for Best Directing for a Limited Series—with WandaVision itself nabbing 23—Deadline breaks the story that Shakman will be directing the next Star Trek film. One has to wonder if this his second dream job in a row.

After a long gestation period for the Star Trek franchise, Deadline reports that Paramount and JJ Abrams’s Bad Robot have gotten their man with the talented Shakman and that things will begin moving quickly. The script comes from Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel), marking the first time in franchise history that two women have penned a Star Trek script.

Shakman is a longtime theater director (he is the artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles), as well as a now-lauded career director of TV. Along with helming every episode of Emmy darling WandaVision, he’s directed episodes of Game of Thrones, Succession, Fargo, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Billions, and more. Shakman’s work on WandaVision made it clear he’s capable of handling it all—comedy, drama, action—and Deadline reports he had a lot of options for his next gig and chose Star Trek.

There had been many potential Star Trek pairings before Shakman grabbed the job. There was a project with none other than Quentin Tarantino, based on a script from The Revenant scribe Mark L. Smith, as well as a version coming from Fargo creator Noah Hawley. In the end, it’s Shakman jumping aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, with Beer and Robertson-Dworet’s script, and for Star Trek fans, this is about as thrilling a new direction for this venerable film franchise as you could hope.

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Featured image: ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 23: (L-R) Director Matt Shakman and Head writer Jac Schaeffer of ‘WandaVision’ took part today in the Disney+ Showcase at Disney’s D23 EXPO 2019 in Anaheim, Calif. ‘WandaVision’ will stream exclusively on Disney+, which launches November 12. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)