While a fourth Star Trek film set in J.J. Abrams' Kelvin timeline may have been shelved by Paramount earlier this week, actor John Cho remains hopeful the film will happen eventually.

On Tuesday, fans were disappointed to learn that a planned fourth Star Trek film was quietly shelved by the studio after the departure of director S.J. Clarkson to work on the Game of Thrones prequel. In a red carpet interview while being honored for his latest film Searching at the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Awards last night, Cho was asked about the possibility of reprising his role as Hikaru Sulu in a sequel to 2016's Star Trek Beyond.

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"It is not happening right now as far as I know, but I just think it will happen. Somebody at some point, we’ll all get on the same page and we will do it…That’s my belief. Maybe I am being optimistic," admitted Cho in an interview with EntertainmentTonight. "To me, it is just a significant part of American popular culture. I just don’t see how it goes away forever."

Cho, who portrayed the Enterprise helmsman in 2009's Star Trek and 2013's Star Trek into Darkness as well as Beyond, had earlier expressed hope that the film would move forward after the apparent departure of actors Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth over a pay dispute.

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While its big screen future for Star Trek is uncertain, the franchise has seen a resurgence on television with a second season of Star Trek: Discovery premiering this month as well as two animated series and a follow-up to Star Trek: The Next Generation with Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard in development.