Chris Pine has a cameo in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem had an unexpected Chris Pine cameo.

The sixth movie from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise premiered on Aug. 2, 2023, and is trending well with critics and fans alike. The new film, entitled, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem features the four titular teenage turtles as such, teenagers, who are lost and unsure about themselves as they move through the world.

It’s a heartfelt story, led by some wonderful voice work from the four young actors playing the titular Ninja Turtles. And while the four main characters were voiced by mostly unknown actors, the film still carries a hefty roster including Jackie Chan, Rose Byrne, John Cena, Ice Cube, Hannibal Buress, and Paul Rudd.

Yet, despite all the big names that the film brought in to help support the young core cast, the film still found a way to fit in Chris Pine. Well, kinda, sorta.

Star Trek’s Chris Pine makes cameo in Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Pine’s cameo comes unannounced, and rather unexpected because he technically doesn’t appear in the film. In fact, it wasn’t Pine, so much as a cardboard cutout of his Star Trek character, James T. Kirk, which appears.

During a scene where Master Splinter is trying to convince his four teenage turtle sons to stay in the sewers and give up on trying to fit in among the humans, he pulls out three cardboard cutouts of various celebrities. One of those celebrations was in fact Pine as James Kirk.

While surprising to see a “Star Trek character” in the film, it’s not unexpected, as they’re both Paramount properties. Not only did Pine’s Kirk make a brief cameo, but so did the face of Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants.

The synergy was real in the film, as Paramount tries to bolster its animated offerings going forward. That said, while fans and critics alike have enjoyed the film, it doesn’t appear to be a financial success as it hasn’t even broken even with its budget, let alone the budget plus advertising.

If the TMNT film franchise can’t turn a profit, that will in fact hurt how Paramount views this, and other established animated IPs. Including those offered by Star Trek.