Chris Pine Is Being Kept In The Dark About Star Trek 4
Chris Pine, who is set to reprise his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek 4, was left confused when a new screenwriter joined the project. “I honestly don’t know. There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script,” he told Business Insider. “But I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it’s always been with [Star Trek], I just wait and see.”
Pine As Kirk
Chris Pine also detailed his approach to playing Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot films. “Kirk is a tricky one. You are the lead of the band of characters, so you don’t want to occupy too much space,” he explained. “It’s fine if they are doing a thing, but you don’t want to. J.J. [Abrams] never asked me to do a thing – though I did do little nods to Shatner because it was fun.”
“But I would say I felt most in his shoes in the third movie. By that point, I think I mellowed into it and didn’t feel like I was trying too hard,” the actor continued. Along with Chris Pine, Star Trek 4 will see Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and the rest of the main cast reprise their roles from the previous films, which include Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and Star Trek Beyond (2016).
The Final Chapter
Starring Chris Pine, Star Trek 4 remains in development at Paramount Pictures despite several false starts. The studio has described the movie as the “final chapter” of this version of the franchise. There have been many different versions of the film in the works. The first was in 2015, with J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay working on getting it off the ground.
Different Creators
In December 2017, Quentin Tarantino shared his own idea for a Star Trek movie with producer J. J. Abrams, starting a separate development. S. J. Clarkson was chosen to direct a sequel to Beyond in April 2018, but negotiations with actors Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth fell through that August, and they left Star Trek 4.
Noah Hawley was brought in to write and direct a new version of the film in November 2019. In January 2020, Tarantino decided not to direct his version, and Hawley’s project was put on hold by new Paramount bosses. In 2021, Kalinda Vazquez was tasked with writing a new script before Matt Shakman was hired to direct a different version with writers Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet.
The Cast
Negotiations to bring back Chris Pine and the rest of the main cast for Star Trek 4 started in February 2022. However, Shakman had to leave the project that August due to scheduling conflicts. As a result, Paramount began looking for a new director. By March 2024, Steve Yockey was working on a new draft of the trouble-plagued film.
The Kelvin Timeline
With Chris Pine leading the cats, Star Trek 4 continues the story in the Kelvin Timeline, which refers to an alternate universe created to revitalize the franchise by introducing new stories without altering the original canon. It diverges from the Prime Universe due to a time-travel event involving the destruction of the planet Romulus.
This event leads to the creation of a new timeline where iconic characters like Kirk and Spock have different experiences. The Kelvin Timeline movies, starting with the 2009 film, focus on a reimagined version of these characters in a more action-oriented setting. Its success is attributed to its ability to maintain a connection to the original series.
However, one critique is that the movies failed to capture the essence of the USS Enterprise, leading to a disconnect with fans who value the ship’s significance. Despite mixed reactions, the Kelvin Timeline films have influenced subsequent additions to the franchise, and fans are excited to see Chris Pine reprise his role in Star Trek 4.
Source: Business Insider
