Chris Pine hopes to return as Captain Kirk in Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek. Originally played by William Shatner in the 1960s Trek series and the first run of films, the legendary James T. Kirk returned to screens in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot in the person of Pine, who later reprised the role in Star Trek: Into Darkness and Star Trek: Beyond.
Unfortunately the third of the Trek reboot films was something of a disappointment at the box office, placing the future of the big screen franchise very much in doubt. A glimmer of hope for Trek fans seemed to arrive in 2017 however when it was first reported that Tarantino had interest in developing his own Trek film, and was working on a script with Revenant writer Mark L. Smith. Later it was also reported that S.J. Clarkson would hop aboard Star Trek 4 as the first female director of a Trek film, but now that particular project appears to have been shelved. Fargo creator Noah Hawley was also supposed to bring Trek back with a new movie featuring a new cast, but that project went down in flames as well.
As CBS All Access carries the Star Trek torch with its ever-expanding roster of shows set in the sci-fi universe, it seems Paramount has entirely shifted away from producing Trek movies. But if the studio ever does reverse course and launch a new Trek venture for the big screen, Pine has made it clear he’s ready to return as Kirk, particularly if Tarantino is involved. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Pine talked about the possibility of going into space with the Pulp Fiction director, while also making it clear he currently knows nothing about the status of Trek:
"You know, I haven't [read a script]. I really, in terms of the Star Trek of it all, I wish I knew anything. I'm quite literally one of the last people ever to find out. So, I haven't read that script, I don't know where it is in development, I haven't read the Noah Hawley script, I have no idea what's happening in Star Trek land. But I love the character, I love the universe, I love my friends in it, you know, to have a Quentin take on it would be tremendously interesting and entertaining. You know, look, whatever happens, if I come back or not, it's a great universe, it deserves to have a future, and I hope that is the case."
Pine’s enthusiasm for the prospect of playing Kirk in a Tarantino-created Trek has in fact been reciprocated by Tarantino and Smith, who came up with a script that is decidedly Kirk-centric. As Smith himself revealed in a recent interview:
“Tarantino and I had so much fun with him, because Kirk is just William Shatner, y’know? It’s like: you’re not sure who is who, so you can kinda lean into that! Because you watch Chris Pine and he’s playing Kirk, but he’s also playing William Shatner a touch."
Indeed Tarantino himself previously sung the praises of Pine, calling the actor hands down his favorite of the current era. Tarantino also talked about his plans for the Trek universe, saying he has no interest in continuing Abrams’ Kelvin timeline, but is primarily fascinated in what Pine brings to the table as Kirk.
Though Trek continues to live on in the form of various streaming series, many fans feel a tremendous loss with no new big screen Trek on the horizon. If Star Trek ever does make its way back to theaters, Paramount and company could do a lot worse than hand things over to Tarantino and let him make the Kirk-centered movie of his and Pine’s dreams. But of course there are many fans who think Tarantino’s R-rated approach would actually be bad for Star Trek. As of now, it doesn’t seem Pine will ever get his chance to shine as Kirk again, with or without Tarantino, but perhaps things could change in the future.
Source: ComicBook.com