Star Trek 4: J.J. Abrams comments on sequel

J.J. Abrams is very excited about the next Star Trek film.

Speaking to EW at the premiere of Star Trek Beyond at San Diego Comic-Con on Wednesday night, Abrams said the story for the franchise’s fourth feature is his “favorite Star Trek story that we’ve had.”

“So one of the reasons that I’m hoping [Star Trek Beyond] does well is so that we can, without question, get that movie made,” Abrams added. “It really is an amazing story. It’s really the reason we made the deal with Chris Hemsworth as soon as we could because we really wanted that story to be told, so fingers crossed.”

Paramount announced Monday that Hemsworth would return to the franchise. The Thor star appeared in the opening minutes of 2009’s Star Trek as George Kirk, father of James T. Kirk, before being killed off. In a press release on Monday, the studio added Star Trek 4 would allow the living Captain Kirk (played by Chris Pine) to “cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father.”

But while Abrams is pretty set on Trek 4, the film’s cast is still in the dark. “I have no idea, I have no idea,” Pine said when asked what to expect from the film. “J.J. hasn’t really told me anything. But I’m looking forward to it, I love Chris, I think he’s fantastically talented. We had a great time on the first one. … It’ll be a blast.”

Added Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock, “The great thing about Star Trek is there are limitless possibilities and combinations of story and I think [Star Trek Beyond] proves that in a lot of ways and I can’t wait to see where all of us go to from here.”

Star Trek Beyond is out on Friday.

— Reporting by C. Molly Smith