Chris Pine Shuts Down Potential Captain Kirk Return For S...

Chris Pine Shuts Down Potential Captain Kirk Return For Star Trek 4

Chris Pine Captain Kirk in Star Trek Beyond

By Allison Hambrick Published Jan 25, 2026, 7:11 PM EST

An avid comic book fan since she first read "Stan Lee's Soapbox," Allison Hambrick is your friendly neighborhood generalist writer. Journalism, editing, media production, copywriting—she does it all. From her very first blog post about Smallville as a primary schooler, Allison developed a passion for superheroes and the entertainment industry at large.

Majoring in writing and film at SCAD, Allison put her skills to work writing, editing, podcasting, and more. Currently, she moonlights as an editor at the ASHRAE Journal by day and Screen Rant by night. Allison also previously worked for Warner Bros. Entertainment and for Disney.

Through her writing, she hopes to inspire, to entertain, and to empower others to be the best versions of themselves, and her mission in life is to make Stan proud. In her free time, she enjoys reading, video game design, traveling, and spending time outside with her dogs, Loki and Elphaba. Allison is fluent in movie quotes, and her favorite film is Superman II.

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In 2009, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek received a cinematic reboot that defined how a generation views the franchise. It starred Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, Karl Urban, the late Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and returning cast member Leonard Nimoy. The film spawned two sequels, Star Trek: Into Darkness in 2013 and Star Trek: Beyond in 2016. A fourth installment was originally planned, but it languished in development hell for almost a decade.

When asked about Star Trek 4 at the Sundance Film Festival, Pine wasn't particularly optimistic about reprising the role of Captain James T. Kirk. "You probably know more than I do," the actor said (via Comic Book Resources). As for what guidance he has for the next Enterprise crew, Pine added, "Advice? Have fun, good luck, live long and prosper."

This response is a marked departure from Pine's prior stance on Star Trek 4. As recently as 2024, the actor was enthused about the prospect of reprising Kirk. Pine reiterated that the cast members "all like one another a lot" and "have a great time doing it."

Moreover, Pine found the idea of playing an older Kirk almost a decade later intriguing because of how it could affect his arc. "I’m a lot older now, so I would be curious where that next story lands us in terms of what it would be and what we’ve said in the press," he concluded.

In addition to Pine, Quinto, who portrayed a young Spock, has said he is "open to it," noting that despite their universe starting with the leads as younger iterations, there's no age limit on Star Trek. "The original cast did movies for decades, well into their 50s, 60s," said Quinto. "The stories might be different. We might not be running as fast on the other planets, but I think anything’s possible."

"I think there’s nothing more fulfilling as an artist than to come back to something after time has passed, and cultivate a relationship with it from a completely different perspective, and a completely new point of view," he concluded. Despite Pine and Quinto's willingness to return, Star Trek 4 is looking less likely as the years go by.

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In November 2025, a new Star Trek film was reported as in development, but this project would be another reboot, existing outside the Abrams films. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who coincidentally collaborated with Pine on Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, are set to write, though no further release information has been shared. Though Star Trek 4 is effectively dead, the franchise is so expansive that its cancellation doesn't mean Pine and Quinto will never return, be it in film, animation, or one of its many series.

Like Follow Followed Star Trek 4 PG-13 Adventure Sci-Fi Action Director Matt Shakman Writers Lindsey Beer, Geneva Robertson-Dworet Prequel(s) Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Nemesis, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond Franchise(s) Star Trek