Chris Pine and the rest of the Kelvin cast could return for the new Star Trek film.
The fourth Star Trek film since 2009 is starting to take shape. While fans aren’t sure what the film will be about, if it’ll be a new universe, another reboot, or something wholly unexpected, the folks at Paramount have at least started to put the pieces together publically. Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Beer are writing the film, with Matt Shakman set to direct. The interesting thing about Shakman being brought on board is that his Star Trek figured in Chris Pine and the rest of the Kelvin Universe Star Trek characters.
While no deals are done for talent, hearing the hope is the Shakman STAR TREK would be for the Chris Pine crew to return
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) July 14, 2021
There had long been rumors that the film would in fact be the fourth movie in the fan-dubbed Abrams’-verse and this may be an indication that those plans are in fact happening. Bad Robot and J.J. Abrams are expected back for the film, so it’s entirely possible that the cast for the film ends up being the same as the previous three films. For what it’s worth and it’s not worth much, the untitled Star Trek film for 2023 lists the same cast as the last three films on its IMDB page.
This has not been confirmed.
Doing another Abrams-verse Star Trek film makes all the sense possible
Short of doing some sort of multi-dimensional Star Trek film that would bring back any and all members of the franchise like Marvel, DC and even Power Rangers have done in recent years, there’s really no killer idea that can get fans jacked for a fourth film.
Rebooting The Next Generation with younger actors and keeping it in the Kelvin Timeline (aka the Abrams-verse) will just split the fanbase even more, and going with a wholly original idea for a film is a bad idea, considering that new properties are being met with uncertainty among fans.
Going back to the Chris Pine-well is a smart move that at least has a measured expectation of what to expect. Of course, there are two inherent problems with going this route. The first being that there are fans who don’t like these films as well, but that’s a problem with any direction the films go. The second issue is that one of the cast members, Anton Yelchin, has since passed.
Yelchin played Chekov for the franchise.
The film should replace him in theory but not in execution. There shouldn’t be another Chekov in the films, but bringing back Alice Eve as Carol Marcus or Sofia Boutella as Jaylah (or both) would help replace the character without having to actually replace him.