Cody Christian began acting at eleven years of age, and he has been working steadily ever since. With roles in Pretty Little Liars, Teen Wolf, and now The CW drama, All American, he has played some pretty dark characters which have given him the opportunity to really flex his acting skills.
As another Teen Wolf alum, he had plenty of action scenes playing the hybrid werewolf/werecoyote Chimera Theo Raeken, a cold-blooded murderer who only looked out for himself. Theo could also be charming and seductive, manipulating people to believe him even when he was filling their head with lies. But, in the end, he was able to redeem himself and even managed to elicit sympathy.
Christian has the charisma to play Kirk and has already proven his leading man capabilities. With his good looks and dominant personality he has shown in some of his roles, he could take on the role of the upcoming captain and make it his own while keeping in mind that this is an established character. I don’t think he would overshadow the James T. Kirk we already know. It might take some getting used to seeing him as a good guy for those of us who have watched him, but I think it would be well worth the try.