Tarantino Directing ‘Star Trek’: Good Idea or Great Idea?

In a movie world full of retreads and overstuffed on nostalgia, the following constitutes good news:

Quentin Tarantino is (possibly) helming the next Star Trek film.

There’s no plot yet — apparently, Tarantino and recent Trek overseer J.J. Abrams are setting up a writers’ room to hash it out — but once a script is approved, The Hateful Eight director may pilot the fourth installment of the reboot.

For genre fans, this is excellent news. Consider:

• Tarantino recently said he’d stop directing after his tenth film, which would now be Trek. What a way to go!
• He’s a huge fan of the original series. Because he knows the rules, he can break ‘em with impunity.
• With Star Wars, Marvel and James Bond films playing it extremely safe — up to and including firing directors who go outside of the series’ norms — Tarantino could add an element of surprise and (doubtful, but maybe!) R-rated space shenanigans.
• Does anyone remember the most recent Star Trek movies after the first one? You don’t.

In an ideal world, Tarantino’s decision could inspire other directors to go outside of their comfort zones: Maybe Wes Anderson tackling found-footage horror? Nicolas Winding Refn trying out a rom-com? Scorsese making a kids film … ah, right, he did that (and that worked pretty well).