Star Trek 4: SJ Clarkson to be first female director in history of franchise

The news was announced at CinemaCon

S.J. Clarkson. (Credit: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

UK director SJ Clarkson has been confirmed as the director of Star Trek 4, making her the first female director of the famous franchise.

The news about a fourth film was announced at CinemaCon by Paramount Studios in Las Vegas, but there were few other details revealed, reports Variety.

The studio is planning a movie with Chris Hemsworth, who portrayed Chris Pine's father in 2009's Star Trek.

Zachary Quinto has also been tapped to star in the flick.

While plot details are limited for Star Trek 4, there will reportedly be a time travel scenario surrounding Pine and Hemsworth's characters.

The screenplay for Star Trek 4 was penned by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and it will be produced by Abrams and Lindsey Weber's Bad Robot Productions.

Star Trek 4 will be executive produced by Skydance Media's David Ellison and Dana Goldberg.

Clarkson is well-regarded for her work on TV shows like Dexter, Bates Motel, Orange Is the New Black and Jessica Jones.

Recently she directed episodes for Marvel's The Defenders.

The 2009 reboot of Star Trek made $385m worldwide at the box office, while the film's sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness earned $467m internationally in 2013.

In 2016, the third Star Trek movie Star Trek Beyond brought in $343m across the globe.

Another Star Trek film is in development with J.J. Abrams and Quentin Tarantino, but the film is reportedly still being written and will be released after the fourth film.