Beginning with the 2009 Star Trek reboot, the newer releases have brought the franchise into the modern motion picture era, although strong box office performances haven't always been matched by a welcome reception from fans.
The 2009 film was followed by two sequels: Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013 and Star Trek Beyond in 2016, the latter of which was the first not to be directed by J. J. Abrams, as Justin Lin took the helm.
All three installments have featured the same cast, including Urban as McCoy, Chris Pine as Kirk, and Zoe Saldaña as Lieutenant Uhura.
It was after the release of Star Trek Beyond that the film side of the long-running franchise ran into some development difficulty, as the next movie has been unclear for some time.
There was a brief period where Quentin Tarantino was said to be developing his own Star Trek movie, and Fargo creator Noah Hawley was similarly attached to a project that could've ended up being the fourth installment in the rebooted timeline.
S.J. Clarkson was also in the mix with a Star Trek 4 that would've brought back Chris Hemsworth as Kirk's father. Eventually, it landed in the hands of WandaVision director Matt Shakman, who is still set to helm the film.
While negotiations are still ongoing, several members of the main cast have said they are excited to return, although what Star Trek 4 will be about remains a mystery.
Now, in an interview with British radio station Radio X, Urban has given an exciting update on the progress of Star Trek 4.
Urban explains that, while he has heard it is happening, he has been “hearing that for the last three years,” displaying an uncertainty as to when exactly they might begin production.
What he is sure of is that they are developing it and “they’re writing a script.” He also confirms that the cast are all keen to return and that, at this point, a start date is “just a matter of timing and logistics.”