Chris Pine has admitted he’s not too hopeful for any future Star Trek movies as he believes the franchise is ‘cursed’.
Pine, 42, is known for playing James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot film series, which kicked off with a first in 2009.
He reprised his role in two further sequels – Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond – while a fourth movie is currently in the works, some six years after the last instalment.
When the latest project was confirmed by producer JJ Abrams and exec Brian Robbins at a Paramount investors event, Pine, Zachary Qunto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldaña and John Cho were all named as stars returning.
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However, it doesn’t sound like Pine is all too sure, having spoken candidly in a new interview with Esquire about not having the ‘energy’ for the next film, despite loving the character and franchise as a whole.
He said: “After the last one came out and didn’t do the $1 billion that everybody wanted it to do, and then Anton [Yelchin, who played Chekhov] passed away, I don’t know, it just seemed...”
While he didn’t finish the thought, a few minutes later, Pine suggested of the franchise: “Feels like it’s cursed.”
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The next Star Trek outing was announced back in February 2022, with producer JJ Abrams telling Esquire that a search for a director is currently ongoing, adding: “I will say it’s the first time [since the original reboot] that we have a story that feels as compelling as the first one.”
This, is turns out, is news to Pine.
He continued: “I don’t know anything. In Star Trek land, the actors are usually the last people to find out anything. I know costume designers that have read scripts before the actors.”
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When asked if it’s feels strange to be the show’s literal captain and know so little about what he’s signing onto, Pine replied: “I would say it’s frustrating. It doesn’t really foster the greatest sense of partnership, but it’s how it’s always been.
“I love the character. I love the people. I love the franchise.
"But to try to change the system in which things are created - I just can’t do it. I don’t have the energy.”
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, Star Trek
Jess Hardiman