Matt Shakman will no longer boldly be helming the next Star Trek film for Paramount, abandoning Star Fleet for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The filmmaker was set to direct the fourth instalment in the Chris Pine-starring Star Trek franchise, which was dated for a December 2023 release; he dropped out due to direct the MCU’s Fantastic Four instead, writes THR, citing “scheduling conflicts”.

“Matt Shakman is an incredibly talented filmmaker, and we regret the timing didn’t align for him to direct our upcoming Star Trek film,” Paramount Pictures said in a statement. “We are grateful for his many contributions, are excited about the creative vision of this next chapter and look forward to bringing it to audiences all around the world.”

This will mark Shakman’s second Marvel project, having previously directed the Disney+ series WandaVision. He replaces Jon Watts, who exited the Fantastic Four film after expressing the desire to take a break from superhero fare. Fantastic Four is presently dated for November 8th, 2024, and would kick-start Phase 6 of the MCU.

No word yet on who might take over directing duties for the upcoming Stark Trek film, nor if Paramount will be able to stick to their late 2023 planned release date, but stay tuned.