star trek movie hemsworth

'Star Trek 4' Will Bring Back Chris Hemsworth As Captain Kirk's Father

UPDATE: Paramount has officially announced that a fourth Star Trek movie is in development and that yes, it will somehow find a way to bring Chris Hemsworth's George Kirk into the fold. Time travel has played a major role throughout Star Trek 's 50-year history (heck, it played a major role in the mere existence of these newest movies), so this unlikely reunion is perfectly in line with what has come before. No director is attached yet, but J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are writing the screenplay. The entire cast is expected to return minus Chekhov, who will be retired from the Enterprise crew following the tragic death of Anton Yelchin. The original article follows below.

We're still a few days from seeing Star Trek Beyond premiere at San Diego Comic-Con, followed by hitting theaters everywhere late next week (or a bit earlier if you head to the Star Trek marathon at AMC Theatres). While the early buzz is pretty stellar, most of us are still in the dark about what happens in the movie, but now we're all on even footing when it comes to knowing something about Star Trek 4 .

One thing we've seen in the trailers for Star Trek Beyond is a hint that Captain Kirk's arc in the movie is about doing more than living up to the legacy of his heroic father George Kirk, played by Chris Hemsworth before he became Thor, who died in the opening of the 2009 reboot from J.J. Abrams just after Kirk was born. Therefore, it only makes sense that news of the return of Chris Hemsworth to the franchise comes from Abrams as well. Find out more after the jump.

J.J. Abrams may not have directed Star Trek Beyond (that responsibility fell to Justin Lin this time), but he's still a producer on the movie by way of his Bad Robot production banner. Therefore he's been making some publicity rounds to talk about the future of Star Trek . First of all, a press conference with Abrams in attendance had the filmmaker confidently answering a question about whether or not we'll get another Star Trek movie sooner than later. The director/producer said (via Den of Geek ):

"Yes, and there's something that hopefully we're figurative minutes away from talking about. But the answer is 100 percent yes, and it's incredibly exciting."

However, that's not the only news that Abrams revealed while talking about Star Trek Beyond. In a conversation with Access Hollywood's Scott Mantz, Abrams revealed that Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role as George Kirk along with the return of Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk.

BREAKING!! #JJAbrams confirms to me that a 4th #StarTrek movie will bring together #ChrisPine & #ChrisHemsworth !! pic.twitter.com/9WRDKw54d4 — Scott Mantz 🖖 (@MovieMantz) July 15, 2016

As we've already recalled, George Kirk died just after his son James Kirk was born, but just because Chris Hemsworth is back doesn't mean the elder Kirk will come back from the dead. As the first film in the rebooted Star Trek franchise proved, time travel is something that occasionally happens, so that's not out of the realm of possibility. Or maybe there will be a parallel story told that follows Kirk learning something about his father as we see what happened with George in the past. We're not sure.

First we'll have to see how Star Trek Beyond does at the box office. It hasn't been a great summer for sequels at the box office, but Star Trek may be a bit more reliable than some of the other franchises, especially since it's the 50th anniversary of the original series this year. But the good news is Star Trek 4 is already written and it's ready to go whenever Paramount Pictures gives it the greenlight.

Star Trek 4's Wild Plot Would Have Revived Chris Hemsworth As Captain Kirk's Dad

"Star Trek 4" could have been the wildest father-son team-up film we would have ever seen.

Before he gave "Star Wars" its groove back, J.J. Abrams efficiently rebooted Paramount's beloved "Star Trek" series for the big screen. Back in 2009, the studio roped the filmmaker in to completely retool the franchise, allowing the creative the opportunity to give the Starship Enterprise a fresh coat of blockbuster paint.

Simply titled "Star Trek," the project gave the franchise a brand new timeline (titled "Kelvin"), allowing Abrams complete creative freedom. It was an effort that mostly worked. While some criticized the film for feeling too action-packed and fast-paced, it proved to be a relative financial success, grossing over $385 million worldwide. What most seemed to agree on was the film's stellar cast, which felt almost perfect. The charming Chris Pine was brought on board as Captain Kirk , while Zachary Quinto was tapped to play the hard-thinking Spock. The rest of the "Star Trek" cast is just as impressive, but Chris Hemsworth stands out in the star-studded affair. 

Hemsworth, before he was a Marvel icon, played George Kirk, the father of the future Captain Kirk. George is seen in the film's opening minutes, going up against the nefarious Romulans, only to die. While Hemsworth's role was brief, there was a chance that he could have played a key role in the "Star Trek" franchise if things had gone as planned. While speaking with Esquire , screenwriters J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay revealed that Hemsworth's character would have been in a hypothetical fourth "Star Trek" outing. "The conceit was that through a cosmic quirk in the Star Trek world, they were the same age," McKay revealed, describing the film as a "grand father-son space adventure." 

How Star Trek would have brought Chris Hemsworth back

During their chat with Esquire, the creative duo, who have since gone on to helm Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power," opened up about what their scrapped "Star Trek 4" would have looked like. Patrick McKay described the Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine-focused "Star Trek 4" as "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" in space, noting how the film features the famed archeologist (Harrison Ford) going on an adventure with his father (Sean Connery). "We were really thrilled about it," McKay said about the "Star Trek 4" script. "We had an original villain and a really cool '2001: A Space Odyssey'-esque sci-fi idea at the core." 

J. D. Payne continued by explaining what the core premise of the film would have been. "Our conceit was, "What if right before the Kelvin impacted with that huge mining ship, George Kirk had tried to beam himself over to his wife's shuttle where his son, Jim Kirk, had just been born?" Payne said, adding that the ship wouldn't have completely exploded . The screenwriter continued by saying that a saved version of Hemsworth's character existed in the still-intact transponder. 

McKay expanded by saying that Captain Kirk (Pine) and his team of space sleuths would "have to seek out the wreckage of the ship that his father died on because of a mystery and a new villain." There, the Enterprise's crew would have been able to bring Kirk's father back. "They beam him out and he has no idea that no time has passed at all, and that he's looking at his son," McKay said. This certainly would have been an exciting idea for another "Star Trek" outing. Unfortunately, the film failed to make it past the scripting stage. 

Why the Chris Hemsworth Star Trek film fell through

Since 2016's "Star Trek Beyond," the franchise has largely remained dormant on the silver screen. The series, however, continues to make strides on television and streaming, where projects like "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Strange New Worlds" continue to dominate. Unfortunately, the Kelvin timeline hasn't had the same luck. In the chat with Esquire, co-writer Patrick McKay lamented how the Chris Hemsworth-led "Star Trek 4" never manifested. "We worked on it for two and half years with Lindsey Weber, our non-writing executive producer on 'Rings of Power,' and an amazing director, S.J. Clarkson," McKay noted. "The movie eventually fell apart and it really was a heartbreak for us." 

In 2019, Hemsworth candidly revealed that he wasn't invested in the idea of a potential "Star Trek" return, a decision that likely stalled progress on the franchise's cinematic endeavors. "I didn't feel like we landed on a reason to revisit that yet," the "Thor" star told Variety . "I didn't want to be underwhelmed by what I was going to bring to the table," the actor added. Seeing as Hemsworth's clout in Hollywood has only grown since his brief appearance in the first "Star Trek," it makes sense that he's focusing on projects that genuinely intrigue him. 

Since the McKay and J. D. Payne script fell through, a number of creatives have tried to tackle a potential "Star Trek 4," though nothing has seen the light of day. Why is the film taking so long? Zachary Quinto says that there are creative reasons for stalling the fourth outing. "I think there's a lot of other stuff, creative things," Quinto said at the 57-Year Mission convention in 2023, per TrekMovie.com . "I think it's about different people having different agendas and ideas about what it will be," the Spock actor added. 

Screen Rant

Star trek 4: chris hemsworth unsure of status after tarantino reports.

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Chris Hemsworth is unsure where Star Trek 4 stands after reports of Quentin Tarantino developing a new movie. After a bit of a hiatus,  Star Trek was relaunched in a big way in 2009 since it saw the release of J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise. The new iteration put Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana in the leading roles, but also included Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, and more. This crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise returned for two more adventures, culminating in  Star Trek Beyond in 2016. Unfortunately, the once lucrative franchise posted box office lows with  Beyond .

The lower than expected sales put the status of  Star Trek 4 into question, despite Abrams dreaming up something big. Plans for the fourth film were never completely unveiled, but it did include a return by Chris Hemsworth as Pine's father, George Kirk. Development on  Star Trek 4 went quiet, and current reports say Quentin Tarantino is developing a Star Trek film of his own. For fans of the most recent trilogy, the prospects of a fourth film began to be questioned, and not even Hemsworth knows the status.

Related: Karl Urban Would Love to Make Star Trek 4

IGN spoke to Hemsworth during the promotional tour for his new movie  12 Strong and asked him about the state of  Star Trek 4 . Hemsworth has previously praised the idea Abrams had for the next film, and upon being asked this question, he says he might need to call up the franchise's former director to get some answers.

I don’t know. It’s a reminder to call J.J. and ask the same question because I haven’t heard any updates on it either.

The future of  Star Trek 4 already looked rather grim, and Hemsworth also being in the dark may only make it worse. Many cast members involved with the recent trilogy voiced their interest and excitement in making a fourth film, and Abrams said it would 100 percent happen . Paramount even went as far as to officially announce the movie , its writers, and confirm that Hemsworth will return . All of this happened in the immediate aftermath of  Beyond 's release, and the fast moving development of Tarantino's movie may have slowed things down.

Even before Tarantino's movie was announced, hints that  Star Trek 4 's future may be in trouble started to surface. Quinto said there was "no guarantee" it would happen , and later revealed the script wasn't finished yet - something Hemsworth confirmed in this most recent interview. Urban has even gone on record saying he doesn't know anything about  Star Trek 4 . The fact that the entire cast is in the dark, Abrams is involved with Tarantino's movie, and  Beyond disappointed at the box office may just add up to the fourth film not happening.

MORE: Chris Hemsworth Praises 'Amazing' Star Trek 4 Pitch

Star Trek 4 is in development, but does not have a release date.

Source: IGN

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Chris pine and chris hemsworth ‘star trek 4’ future in doubt as talks fall through (exclusive).

Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth are exiting 'Star Trek 4' after talks between the actors and the companies making the new installment, Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media, fell apart.

By Borys Kit

Senior Film Writer

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Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth are no longer boldly going where no person has gone before.

The two actors were in negotiations to star in Star Trek 4 , but sources say that talks between the two actors and the companies making the new installment, Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media, have fallen apart, with both sides walking away from the table.

Dealmaking with other returning castmembers — including Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg and John Cho — was expected to follow.

Pine was due to reprise his role as iconic sci-fi hero Captain Kirk, which he has inhabited for three movies, while Hemsworth was to have played his father in a time-traveling adventure. (Hemsworth played the role in the prologue of the 2009 film that rebooted the franchise.) 

The deal points came down to the usual suspect: money. Pine and Hemsworth, among Hollywood’s A-list when starring in DC or Marvel movies, are said to be asking the studios to stick to existing deals. Paramount, according to insiders, contends that Star Trek is not like a Marvel or Star Wars movie and is trying to hold the line on a budget.

The actors, according to sources, insist they have deals in place and that the studios are reneging on them, forcing them to take pay cuts as they try to budget a movie that is following a mediocre performer.

Pine, at least, has had a deal in place for several years. The actor, now a key player in the Wonder Woman franchise, signed up for a fourth movie when he made his deal for 2016’s Star Trek Beyond . Hemsworth has been attached to Star Trek 4 since Paramount, then run by the previous regime headed by Brad Grey, announced the fourth installment in 2016, although his exact status remains murky.

The studio, however, is backing its budget tough talk with past performance numbers. The last installment, Star Trek Beyond , grossed only $343 million worldwide on a budget of $190 million. In fact, one insider says the companies lost money on the pic.

The 2009 reboot that kicked off this run of movies, titled simply Star Trek, made $386 million, while 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness is the top earner of all the Star Trek movies with $467 million. Meanwhile, Marvel, DC or Star Wars films regularly gross north of $700 million. Not for lack of trying, the Star Trek pics seem to have a ceiling, especially globally.  

It is unclear what the next step is for Star Trek 4. The project could recast Kirk and his father, or perhaps the two sides could come back to the table.

Either way, Paramount and Skydance insiders say the movie, also produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, remains a priority development and is not being put on hold. Adding a veneer of enterprise to the project is that for the first time in the franchise history, a female director, S. J. Clarkson ( Jessica Jones, Succession ), is sitting in the captain’s chair.

Paramount had no comment. CAA, which reps Pine and Hemsworth, also had no comment.

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‘Star Trek 4’ Officially Announced; Chris Hemsworth Confirmed to Co-Star

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Well Paramount sure is confident in Star Trek Beyond . The third Trek film in the rebooted franchise that began with J.J. Abrams ’ 2009 film opens in theaters this Friday, but today Paramount and Bad Robot went ahead and announced official plans for Star Trek 4 . As we heard on Friday, Chris Hemsworth is now confirmed to co-star alongside Chris Pine , reprising his role as Captain Kirk’s father from the prologue of Star Trek 2009 and continuing Pine’s Daddy Issues arc that’s been the backbone of this rebooted franchise thus far.

The official logline for Star Trek 4 is as follows:

In the next installment of the epic space adventure, Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk will cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father.

This is a huge get for the franchise, as Hemsworth’s turn as George Kirk in 2009 came as he was simply a burgeoning actor with Cabin in the Woods on his docket. But now, since landing the role of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and proving his comedic chops in films like Vacation and Ghostbusters , Hemsworth is a bona fide movie star. So for Star Trek 4 , the franchise is getting even more starpower.

While Simon Pegg and Doug Jung wrote the script for Star Trek Beyond , Paramount says J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay will pen the Star Trek 4 script while J.J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber will produce through Bad Robot Productions. Payne and McKay were actually the first writers on Beyond when Roberto Orci was directing, but once he left the project, Pegg and Jung came in and did a Page One rewrite, so I’ll be curious to see how the script develops going forward.

The remaining cast is expected to return, sadly this time without Anton Yelchin who passed away recently in a tragic accident. Fast & Furious 6 helmer Justin Lin stepped in to direct Star Trek Beyond , but Paramount has not yet confirmed who will direct Star Trek 4 . With Abrams once again producing, I wonder if he'll approach the franchise like  Mission: Impossible going forward, bringing in a new filmmaker each time around to put his or her stamp on the series.

Beyond ’s early reviews have been widely positive, with many praising its Star Trek: The Original Series vibe, so clearly the studio is feeling bullish about the franchise’s prospects even as CBS ramps up its new TV iteration of Star Trek to debut in January 2017. But with Hemsworth onboard, Trek 4 now has a new wealth of possibilities at its disposal. Will the Enterprise crew be traveling backwards in time? Just Kirk? Or is George Kirk brought into the future? We’ll find out in due time, but for now, Star Trek Beyond opens in theaters on Friday.

Star Trek 4: Why Chris Hemsworth Turned Down Returning to the Franchise

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Chris Hemsworth is one of the most in-demand actors of the moment. Between starring in the ever-expanding MCU as Thor — a franchise for which he has recently extended his contract, according to Giant Freakin Robot — and a handful of upcoming exciting movies , like Extraction 2 and Furiosa (the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road ), it's no surprise that Hemsworth's schedule is one of the busiest of any actor in Hollywood right now. Prior to wrapping up filming on Extraction 2 , in fact, Hemsworth was working on the highly anticipated MCU sequel Thor: Love and Thunder , and now, it appears that his turn as the lead villain in Furiosa is next on his list.

If these three franchises weren't enough, another that Hemsworth was reportedly tied to was Star Trek . Although he initially had limited screen time in the first movie, released in 2009, Hemsworth was reportedly attached to the upcoming Star Trek 4 , reprising his role as Captain Kirk's (Chris Pine) father. It's no surprise that the franchise was keen to get him back on-board, considering how his star power has increased exponentially between 2009 and now. Unfortunately, Hemsworth ultimately turned down returning to the franchise. Here's why.

Related: Chris Hemsworth's Best Performances, Ranked

Star Trek 4 Had an Uneven Path of Development

The Star Trek franchise has been needing to be developed further for some time now, and reports began to surface around 2016 that a story idea was in development for Star Trek 4 , which would see Hemsworth's George Kirk reunite with his son in a plot that would focus strongly on the development of their characters. It was also announced that J.J. Abrams would return to the role of producer and the screenplay would be written by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay to take the story in a new direction.

Not long after this, in 2018, it was reported that both actors were considering pulling from Star Trek 4 for reasons that were being attributed to budget disputes regarding their potential salaries for the film. It had since been corrected that this may not have been the case, but rather the path for the development of the film may have been difficult and lacked a clear progression. Before Hemsworth had pulled from the project, it was revealed that there were multiple versions of the script in existence, but a direction was not clear, which would likely have influenced Hemsworth’s decision to leave. In spite of this, Pine has been confirmed to star in and has even expressed excitement about Star Trek 4 .

Chris Hemsworth is Tied to Other Franchises

Star Trek 4 had yet to lock in a director for a while, but, according to Variety , one filmmaker who had been tied to discussions of the project on multiple occasions is none other than Quentin Tarantino. Of course, while these discussions took place, Hemsworth's scheduled naturally filled up with Thor and Avengers sequels, as well as other projects and franchises. In addition to the MCU, during the time of locking in a director for Star Trek 4 , Hemsworth was tied to the Men in Black franchise, the live-action Snow White movies opposite Charlize Theron, an upcoming Hulk Hogan biopic from director Todd Phillips, and now both Extraction and Furiosa . On top of that, there have been discussions of his possible involvement in future James Bond movies, so his schedule is not looking quiet anytime soon.

Related: Here’s All of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Costumes, Ranked

Star Trek 4 Ideas Developed Too Slowly

Star Trek 3 ended with Captain Kirk declining the promotion to Vice Admiral and remaining as Captain of the USS Enterprise. Spock also chose to remain in the Starfleet and began to embark on a romance again with Uhura. By the end of the movie, we saw them already continuing their mission on a new USS Enterprise after the previous one was destroyed. This initially opened a lot of possibilities for Star Trek 4 , which is perhaps why there have been so many delays: too many ideas, in this case, was a bad thing.

Overall, Star Trek 4 has encountered different kinds of delays at almost every step of the road. The initial script written by Payne and McKay was scrapped entirely, which urged the project to move in a completely new direction. As such, the movie sat dormant for a while, and it wasn't until 2018 that there was progress again. At this point, S.J. Clarkson was hired to direct, though he also left the project. Now, WandaVision director Matt Shakman is on-board with a script from Josh Friedman and Cameron squires. For Hemsworth, though he maintains interest in returning to the franchise, it was a matter of timing.

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‘Star Trek’ Writers Discuss the Scrapped Film That Would’ve Seen Chris Hemsworth Unite with Chris Pine

Star Trek fans have been anxiously waiting for the next film in the intergalactic series ever since Star Trek Beyond arrived in theaters back in July 2016. And while the currently-titled Star Trek 4 is still under development, Hollywood screenwriters J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay recently sat down with Esquire to discuss the scrapped film they wrote, which would've seen Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine starring side by side.

For context, in the rebooted Star Trek film series, Pine plays leader James T. Kirk, while Hemsworth portrays his late father, George Kirk, who died in a battle right before his son was born. Thus, the two never interact in the films, but apparently, Payne and McKay wanted to switch that up in their screenplay for Star Trek 4 .

Esquire interviewer Adrienne Westenfeld asked the pair to talk about the abandoned film, to which McKay said, “I would love to tell you about it. We worked on a couple of  Star Trek movies. The one you’re asking about would have been the fourth in the franchise, reuniting Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine. The conceit was that through a cosmic quirk in the  Star Trek  world, they were the same age. It was going to be a grand father-son space adventure—think  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade  in space.”

While that sounds like a blast to us, things, unfortunately, just didn't work out. “The movie eventually fell apart and it really was a heartbreak for us,” McKay said, noting that he and Payne, along with executive producer Lindsey Weber, spent two and a half years on the project.

Now, you may be wondering: How could these two possibly unite if James Kirk's father died before he was born? But, the screenwriters had an answer for that.

McKay said, “I want to spoil a piece of it that's exciting—how they end up together. Can we do that, J.D.?” To which Payne replied, “Sure, why not?”

Payne then dove into the mechanics of the story, saying, “There’s an episode of  Star Trek: The Next Generation called ‘Relics’ where they find Scotty, who's been trapped a transporter for a couple of decades, and they're able to have cool adventure with him. Our conceit was, ‘What if right before the Kelvin impacted with that huge mining ship, George Kirk had tried to beam himself over to his wife's shuttle where his son, Jim Kirk, had just been born? And what if the ship hadn’t completely exploded—what if it left some space junk?’”

Payne put it in a context that current readers might be able to relate to, saying, “Think about when you send a text message and you’ve typed it out, but you haven't quite hit send. On the other side, they see those three little dots that someone has typed. It’s like the transporter had absorbed his pattern up into the pattern buffer, but hadn’t spit him out on the other side. It was actually a saved copy of him that was in the computer.”

Meanwhile, McKay added, “So the adventure is that Chris Pine and the crew of the  Enterprise  have to seek out the wreckage of the ship that his father died on because of a mystery and a new villain. In the ship, they stumble across his father's pattern. They beam him out and he has no idea that no time has passed at all, and that he's looking at his son. Then the adventure goes from there.”

We would have loved to see this idea come to fruition. But to ease the pain, we'll just have to go back and rewatch Star Trek (2009).

Stay up-to-date on all the latest entertainment news by subscribing  here .

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Chris Hemsworth says he would return to ‘Star Trek 4’ if asked

"I'd probably say: 'Yeah, let's go for it'", Hemsworth said if he got the call to appear in the next 'Star Trek' film

Chris Hemsworth has hinted at a possible return in the upcoming new  Star Trek movie, saying he would return if asked.

The fourth instalment of the series was announced earlier this year with director J.J. Abrams confirming the news at the Paramount Investors Day Presentation.

Abrams said: “We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new Star Trek film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take Star Trek into areas that you’ve just never seen before.

“We’re thrilled about this film, we have a bunch of other stories that we’re talking about that we think will be really exciting, so can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up. But until then, live long and prosper.”

Now, Hemsworth has addressed the new film too, saying he would return to the series if asked, reprising his role as George Kirk.

“There was talk about me doing the film with Chris Pine at one point, the script was put together and then it fell apart. But if J.J. Abrams called me tomorrow and said: ‘Chris Pine and I want to do it’, I’d probably say: ‘Yeah, let’s go for it’,” he told  Vanity Fair .

Check out the full interview here:

Recommended

In the interview, Hemsworth also reflected how the role in Star Trek  helped him get the part in  Thor. “I’d shot Star Trek and then I had about about eight or nine months where I couldn’t get a job. Then the film came out and it gave me some momentum. I had auditioned for Thor a few times but didn’t get a callback. I then had the opportunity to have another callback. Star Trek had come out, Kenneth Branagh had seen it. I do think it helped in many, many ways. I think J.J. Abrams and Kenneth had a conversation.

“The initial audition I sent was with my mum and I, and my mum was reading as Anthony Hopkins, so I don’t know, maybe it was her read that somehow swayed the vote there.”

WandaVision ‘s Matt Shakman will direct the new Star Trek  film.

Abrams’s return for a fourth movie was revealed last year, but it’s not clear whether Chris Pine and his trilogy co-stars will appear in the next instalment of Star Trek .

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Chris Hemsworth

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Hemsworth is best known to audiences for his portrayal of the Marvel Comics character Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Thor (2011) and including The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Before making the transition to Hollywood, he was best known in his native Australia for his Logie Award-winning role as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera Home and Away .

For his work on Star Trek , Hemsworth received a Boston Society of Film Critics Award in 2009 in the category Best Ensemble Cast. The 2013 virtual collectible card battle game Star Trek: Rivals is using his picture for card #76, Acting Captain G. Kirk.

• 1 Early life and career
• 2 After Star Trek
• 3 Marvel films
• 4 Other films
• 5 External links

Early life and career [ ]

Hailing from Phillip Island near Melbourne, Hemsworth starred as King Arthur in the short-lived Australian children's show Guinevere Jones . He then guest-starred on several other shows before winning his role on Home and Away . He also appeared in the Australian version of the dance competition series Dancing with the Stars , but he and his dance partner, Abbey Ross, were the sixth couple eliminated.

In 2007, Hemsworth shot an independent film called Ca$h! (formerly Root of All Evil ) with Mike Starr . Although Star Trek was released first, Ca$h! was Hemsworth's first feature film and his first American production. It was released in March 2010.

After Star Trek [ ]

Hemsworth had completed shooting on Star Trek and was back in Australia by 9 December 2007. Regarding his time in Hollywood, the actor says " I got lucky, I guess – right place, right time. " [1] Hemsworth's voice was used in an audio flashback in the sequel Star Trek Into Darkness .

After completing his work on Star Trek , Hemsworth landed a supporting role in A Perfect Getaway , a thriller released by MGM in August 2009. This film starred Timothy Olyphant , who was considered for a role in 2009's Star Trek . [2]

Hemsworth starred in the MGM horror/thriller film The Cabin in the Woods , which was co-written and produced by Joss Whedon . The film was directed and co-written by Drew Goddard, who worked with Star Trek director and producer J.J. Abrams as a writer and producer on the series Alias and Lost and as writer of the film Cloverfield . [3] Although filmed in 2009, The Cabin in the Woods was not released until 2012.

Hemsworth also appeared in the short film Ollie Klublershturf vs the Nazis opposite Star Trek co-star Rachel Nichols . This project was written by Star Trek producer Damon Lindelof and cast by Star Trek casting director, Alyssa Weisberg . Lindelof and Weisberg also served as producers on the film.

Marvel films [ ]

Hemsworth elevated to global movie star status with the titular role in Thor (2011), featuring Idris Elba , Joseph Gatt , Jamie McShane , Derek Graf , and Douglas Tait , as well as cameos from comic book writers J. Michael Straczynski (who co-wrote the story), Stan Lee , and Walter Simonson .

Hemsworth reprised the role of Thor in Thor: The Dark World (2013, with Idris Elba, Alice Krige , and another cameo by Stan Lee), Thor: Ragnarok (2017, with Idris Elba, Karl Urban , Stan Lee, and the voice of Clancy Brown ), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022, with Idris Elba).

He also played Thor in the MCU films The Avengers (2012, with Kenneth Tigar , Jamie McShane, and Stan Lee), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015, with Idris Elba and Stan Lee), Avengers: Infinity War (2018, starring Benedict Cumberbatch , Zoë Saldana , with Idris Elba, Floyd Anthony Johns Jr. , and Stan Lee), Avengers: Endgame (2019, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoë Saldana, with Floyd Anthony Johns Jr., and Stan Lee), and an uncredited cameo in Doctor Strange (2016, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and again featuring a cameo by Stan Lee).

Hemsworth also voiced Thor in two episodes of the 2021 animated series What If…? , alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Fred Tatasciore , Robin Atkin Downes , Clancy Brown, and Kari Wahlgren .

Other films [ ]

Hemsworth played the titular Huntsman in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012, with Chris Obi ) and returned to the role in The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016). He also starred in Red Dawn (2012, co-starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Brett Cullen .

Hemsworth's other films include Rush (2013), In the Heart of the Sea (2014), and Blackhat (2015). In 2016, Hemsworth played Kevin, the all-female team's male secretary in Ghostbusters .

Most recently, Hemsworth starred in 2 Strong (2018), Men in Black: International (2019, featuring a cameo by J.J. Abrams ), Extraction (2020), and Netflix ' Spiderhead (2022).

External links [ ]

• Chris Hemsworth at the Internet Movie Database
• Chris Hemsworth at Wikipedia
• Chris Hemsworth at the Marvel Movies wiki
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

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Chris Hemsworth’s Best Roles: ‘Thor,’ ‘Furiosa,’ ‘Bad Times at El Royale,’ and More

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When it comes to epic new character challenges for Chris Hemsworth, the question isn’t “Can he do it?” The question is “Does he have it in him… to make it epic?”

From “The Avengers” and “Blackhat” to more Avengers and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Hemsworth has been chewing through action roles since he was first cast as Captain Kirk’s dad in the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot that launched a thousand IMDb pages. He’s known across the world and throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor: an ancient god dedicated to protecting Earth and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” IP with a heart of gold and a hammer the size of Rocket Raccoon. Sometimes he’s brave. Sometimes he’s goofy. And shaggy or shaven, the man sure can make a cape and eyepatch sexy.

Although the Thor role may have made Hemsworth a household name, he’s beloved in the broader film community for different fare. Much of it is still mainstream, but there’s a singular playfulness to Hemsworth’s performances in films like “Ghostbusters,” “Cabin in the Woods,” and “Bad Times at the El Royale” which sets Hemsworth apart from his super contemporaries. A keen self-awareness and gracious ability to share a scene have shaped the Australian actor’s performances for the past 15 years, thus far peaking with a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that saw the fan favorite performer dressed in drag and fawning over himself.

With stinkers like “In the Heart of the Sea” on his filmography, Hemsworth hasn’t always brought the same nuance to choosing projects — but lately, he’s crushing it with a part that pushes his talents to contorted new extremes. In “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Hemsworth rocks a prosthetic nose, spits his way through some gnarly fake teeth, and totes around a stuffed teddy for his performance as Dementus: a key antagonist opposite Anya Taylor-Joy’s titular prequel hero in the new apocalyptic road rage epic from George Miller.

“Ruthless but theatrical, Dementus is only scary because you know he’ll take anything and everything he can in order to avoid thinking about what he’s lost,” writes IndieWire’s David Ehrlich in his A- review of the film .

“It would have been easy for Miller and his co-writer Nico Lathouris to imagine the main antagonist of this prequel as a mere sub-boss for ‘Fury Road’ baddie Immortan Joe, but ‘Furiosa’ tacks in the opposite direction by making Dementus the most loquacious character in the history of this franchise; by stressing his wayward humanity in a wasteland of inbred power-mongers.”

Read on to see how Dementus stacks up in IndieWire’s ranking of Chris Hemsworth’s best performances.

9. ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ (2012)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Eric the Huntsman, who is tasked by Charlize Theron’s Evil Queen with a kidnapping before melting into an obvious but enjoyable love interest.

How he nails it: Aside from its gilded production design and pitch-perfect use of a Halsey track, Universal’s ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ duology is wildly forgettable. Still, Hemsworth does a nice job as the titular hunky laborer: a jaded outdoorsman mourning the loss of his wife whose ultimate emotional thawing does wonders for Kristen Stewart’s lackluster princess. Those looking for period piece Hemsworth could do a lot worse than a part that arms the ‘Thor’ actor with an axe and oddly reminds of his younger brother’s stint in ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise. —AF

8. ‘Extraction’ (2020)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Tyler Rake, a former Australian Army man turned black market mercenary with a dark past… ooh! Spooky!

How he nails it: ‘Extraction’ sucks, full-stop. And yet, there’s satisfaction in seeing Hemsworth deliver the exact action goods you know he can in a Netflix thriller significantly below his talent. The hyper-violent flick fails to give the actor (particularly jacked and sweaty here) much of a character to develop, but director Sam Hargrave’s blistering action sequences seem like they were a technical monster to pull off. Hemsworth hits every punch and trigger pull like a piston with a one-shot gun fight that will leave you as in awe of his memory as his muscles. —AF

7. ‘Spiderhead’ (2022)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Steve Absneti, the nefarious head of experimental prison Spiderhead. The film from ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ director Joseph Kosinski follows a rebellion from the prisoners against Absneti, who uses experimental drugs to moderate and control their emotions. 

How he nails it:  ‘Spiderhead’ is a dull, dull film, thanks to a woeful script and truly sleep-worthy lead performances from Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett as the leads. Hemsworth is the only person on screen doing anything worth watching for most of its runtime, and it’s to his credit that he manages to bring the film to life for slight stretches of its runtime. He plays Absneti as a Bond Villain, charming and calm with a vicious streak underneath and a slight manic bent. In a staid, stoic film, his memorably weird performance is the unequivocal highlight. —WC  

6. ‘Blackhat’ (2015)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Nicholas Hathaway, a computer hacker in prison for robbing banks. Michael Mann’s underrated thriller sees Nick get released from prison to aid in the investigation of hackers that caused a Chinese nuclear plant to meltdown. 

How he nails it:  Generally speaking, Hemsworth is at his best when he’s allowed to be goofy and charming along with being a badass. But he’s still a capable brooding Mann lead as the absurdly buff Nicholas, cutting a charismatic figure amid the nonstop intensity. And he has legitimate chemistry with Wei Tang as ally Lien Chen, adding a necessary emotional core to the often ridiculous thriller. —WC

5. ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2012)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Curt Vaughan, an athletic sociology major whose cousin’s cabin becomes ground zero for a redneck zombie encounter that will decide the fate of the world.

How he nails it:  Hemsworth is more action star than horror girly, but ‘Cabin in the Woods’ suggests his reign as a scream king would have been long and spectacular. Director Drew Goddard’s genre deconstruction about five college kids who find themselves at the mercy of a sadistic family of the undead — and an Illuminati-like organization that sent the monsters there for reasons we only later learn — positions Hemsworth as its main hero. With a meadow-set sex scene and an epic, if anticlimactic, motorcycle jump to work with, Curt is the gory Thor alternative (Thor-ternative?) that fans of Hemsworth who are too grown-up for the Marvel Universe can always come back to.  —AF

4. ‘Ghostbusters’ (2016)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Kevin, an aspiring actor who becomes the receptionist for the all-female team of Ghostbusters in Paul Feig’s 2016 reboot of the iconic comedy series. He’s very attractive, and an object of lust for the women he works for, even if he’s also very bad at his job.   

How he nails it:  Before the ‘Thor’ films stopped being so grim, ‘Ghostbusters’ was the first sign that one of Hemsworth’s best skills is that he can be funny. He’s a riot as the dim, self-absorbed, but still charming Kevin, stealing the show from the more seasoned comedic cast of ‘SNL’ alums with his vacant smile and effortless timing. It’s the ultimate himbo role, and the role reversal of the typical sexy receptionist character wouldn’t be half as amusing if Hemsworth wasn’t such a ringer in the part. —WC

3. ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ (2024)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Dementus, a warlord ruling the Biker Horde that terrorizes the wastelands of post-apocalyptic Australia. ‘Furiosa’ sees Anya Taylor-Joy’s younger version of the ‘Mad Max’ character cross paths with him as a child, when he murders her mother and attempts to use her to find the fabled Green Place oasis. She escapes and begins a revenge plan against him, as he wages a campaign against fellow warlord Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). 

How he nails it:  Hemsworth is often seen as just a beefcake, but ‘Furiosa’ shows that he can be terrific even when he’s uglied up. Nothing is appealing about the snarling, vicious Dementus, a mean, cruel, and dirty-looking demon whose a perfectly rendered object of hate for the audience to root against. Hemsworth goes delightfully hammy and oversized — his performance is about as big as the endless desert the revenge saga takes place in — but he tempers it unexpectedly with a philosophical, wise side that only reveals itself towards the journey’s end. The ending of ‘Furiosa’ is shockingly dark and genuinely wistful, and it’s Hemsworth’s performance that makes it so powerful. —WC

2. The MCU ‘Thor’ Film Series (2011-2022)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Thor, the god of thunder as depicted in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Marvel comics. Throughout the four films Hemsworth headlined as Thor — the 2011 original, ‘The Dark World,’ ‘Ragnarok,’ and ‘Love and Thunder’ — the character evolves from a spoiled, arrogant prince to a kind warrior and protector of the ones he loves. 

How he nails it:  Hemsworth is consistently charming and likable throughout all of the many, many Marvel films he appeared in. But let’s be real; ‘Ragnarok,’ the only genuinely good ‘Thor’ film, is the reason why this entry is so high up here. Taika Waititi might have whiffed ‘Love and Thunder,’ but ‘Ragnarok’ is a pure blast of fun, and Hemsworth is a big part why. The zanier tone allows him to undercut Thor’s stoic exterior with his strong comedic chops, which go beyond the bland quippiness that MCU films often indulge in. It’s not a purely comedic performance either; Hemsworth gets a lot of opportunities to flex his dramatic chops as Thor realizes he needs to let Asgard go if he has any hope of saving it. It’s a smart, thoughtful character arc wrapped in an ’80s-inflected fantasy adventure, and Hemsworth finds all the goofiness and gravity needed for it to land.  —WC

1. ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ (2018)

Who Hemsworth plays:  Billy Lee, a murderous cult leader who pursues an escaped follower to the El Royale.

How he nails it:  “Bad Times at the El Royale” is imperfect, but you haven’t lived until you’ve seen a greased-up late ’60s Hemsworth, billowing peasant shirt, chest exposed, eating a slice of pie, dancing to Deep Purple. Any Marvel star with as much staying power as Hemsworth is an arguable cult leader already. But the slippery and sadistic Billy Lee allowed writer/director Drew Goddard and his beefcake actor to re-team outside of ‘Cabin in the Woods,’ creating a Charlie Manson and/or Jimi Hendrix-esque villain that marries Hemsworth’s comedic talents with his knack for intensity to tremendous effect. Theatrical as they come, this antagonist decides fates via roulette wheel and knows a good flowery field for frolicking when he sees one. Peace and love, Billy Lee, peace and love. —AF

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The 10 best non-Marvel Chris Hemsworth movies, ranked

A ustralian actor Chris Hemsworth is best known as the God of Thunder, Thor, in the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe, but what does one need to do to be considered for such a legendary role besides getting into Thor-like shape and having the right heritage? The guy has acting chops.

Hemsworth has acted in an array of roles, from comedy to thriller all the way to drama, and of course, more sci-fi . His filmography features more roles than most would expect, and not even all of them are included in this list. However, given that his most prevalent character is Thor, and that accounts for a whopping 8 out of 25 movie roles, I’ve decided to rank his top performances that don’t include the hammer-swinging, emotion-bottling demigod. These Chris Hemsworth movies overall range from subpar to great, but the rankings are based on Hemsworth’s performances alone.

10. 12 Strong (2018)

• Metacritic: 54%
• IMDb: 6.5/10
• Duration: 130m
• Genre: War, Drama, Action, History
• Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña
• Directed by: Nicolai Fuglsig

A pretty awesome war movie overall, 12 Strong is not exactly Hemsworth’s best role. Based on a true yet pretty unbelievable story, 12 special forces operatives are the first U.S. retaliation after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Obligated to join forces with the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan, the 12 initiate an unlikely and outnumbered assault to destabilize the Taliban’s power center in Mazar-i-Sharif. Hemsworth’s portrayal of Capt. Mitch Nelson is noble and brave — as it should be — but it didn’t seem like a role in which Hemsworth could truly shine. His accent is also inconsistent in this role. But his macho manliness is apparent as ever — it just doesn’t quite convince. In the end, I don’t blame Hemsworth as much as I do the lazily constructed backstory and writing surrounding the main plot, but he could have given the character more depth in the few emotional scenes provided.

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9. Men in Black: International (2019)

• Metacritic: 38%
• IMDb: 5.6/10
• Rated: PG-13
• Duration: 115m
• Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction
• Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson
• Directed by: F. Gary Gray

A fun and CGI-driven adventure, Men in Black: International is a somewhat campy tale within the canon of the original, imaginative Men in Black films. We discover that the Men in Black have been operating for a long time all over the world, but now they find a mole in their ranks bent on destroying the organization that polices alien activity on Earth. Hemsworth plays Agent H, a womanizing, socializing, satirizing macho Man in Black. So, basically, he’s Thor, but replace god-like strength and a hammer with fancy toys and chrome laser guns. The script has some good comedy, and Hemsworth plays well with them, but International doesn’t quite live up to the original three films and their snappy young gun/grumpy old veteran dynamic. This movie isn’t just about his character — he’s really the supporting character to Agent M (Tessa Thompson) — but this movie makes me want to see Hemsworth in a vastly different role to see the true range of his performances.

8. In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

• Duration: 122m
• Genre: Thriller, Drama, Adventure, Action, History
• Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy
• Directed by: Ron Howard

In the Heart of the Sea is a story about survival and the extremes humans can go to when faced with disaster. It takes place in the early 1820s, aboard a whaling ship called the Essex out of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Chris Hemsworth stars as one of the whalers on the ship, Owen Chase, who is a skilled first mate. The Essex is attacked by a giant, enraged sperm whale in a nightmarish encounter, and the damaged ship sinks, leaving the crew adrift in the vast ocean with limited supplies. The survivors face starvation, dehydration, and harsh elements as they desperately try to find land, and they’re pushed to their limits and forced to make unthinkable choices to survive. The film portrays the real-life events that inspired Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick .

7. Vacation (2015)

• Metacritic: 34%
• IMDb: 6.1/10
• Duration: 99m
• Genre: Comedy
• Stars: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo
• Directed by: John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein

A continuation of the classic National Lampoon films, Vacation is an all-out adventure of idiocy and sexual jokes that don’t quite match the originals. Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) remembers his days of traveling to Walley World with his family as a child. Determined to create memories with his own family as his father did, they drive across the country and run into all sorts of mishaps. Hemsworth shows up in the film — getting maybe 10 minutes of screen time — as an exaggerated personification of his physical traits, which are all referenced or shown in his short cameo. Though he’s not a big part of the movie, Hemsworth has got to be the absolute highlight. Hair coiffed, abs out, evenly tanned, Hemsworth fully dives into the role as the hunky, southern a-hole with hilarious magnificence. The film, overall, is lowbrow and crude, with little to take away, but Vacation does have some great moments if you want to sit for two hours and turn your brain off.

6. Extraction (2020)

• Metacritic: 56%
• IMDb: 6.7/10
• Duration: 116m
• Genre: Drama, Action, Thriller
• Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda
• Directed by: Sam Hargrave

Overshadowed by needless violence and explosions, Extraction turns the tables and tries to focus more on emotional depth in a less conventional movie. When black-market mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) is hired to save an imprisoned warlord’s son, the stakes rise exponentially as more and more local gunrunners and traffickers learn of the situation. Playing a rogue agent who has nothing to live for, Hemsworth has a better script from which to work for this role. The emotional narrative in his character’s evolution is a much better opportunity to show his strengths, not just his physicality. His success in fulfilling the vision of veteran stunt coordinator/first-time director Sam Hargrave was mostly what impressed me about Hemsworth’s performance. He also had to do most of the fighting/free-running takes all in one go, back to back.

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5. Rush (2013)

• Metacritic: 74%
• IMDb: 8.1/10
• Duration: 123m
• Genre: Drama, Action
• Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde

A gritty and cutting racing story, Rush is the best Ron Howard sports movie and his only one since Cinderella Man . In the 1970s, James Hunt (Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) begin their bitter rivalry, pushing each other to obsessive lengths to be the best. The performances in this film are fantastic, both Hemsworth and Brühl shine in their opposition and emotional performances, but Brühl a bit more so. For somebody who was hoping for a bit more subtlety, it was a bit disappointing to see Hemsworth show up in the very first scene shirtless and womanizing, despite the promising writer and director. Though this does play on Hemsworth’s strengths and later ends up working well for the character, I wish it wasn’t so simple as that. I was glad to see later that Hemsworth’s role included a dark period of alcoholism and sadness, leaving him with nothing else but racing, but even that was a bit lacking. Seeing him begin to stretch his arms in a new type of role is exciting, which increases anticipation for the upcoming Hulk Hogan biopic he has been cast in.

4. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

• Metacritic: 72%
• Duration: 95m
• Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Comedy
• Stars: Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth
• Directed by: Drew Goddard

Seemingly a run-of-the-mill slasher flick, The Cabin in the Woods — brought to you by director/writer Drew Goddard and veteran co-writer Joss Whedon — is a lovely surprise for thriller/dark comedy fans all around. A group of college friends decides to go on vacation out in the deep, dark woods, but something foul is at play when they start to be attacked by supernatural forces. The cast of characters for this film was excellent and truly comedic, however, they stray from their character tropes almost instantly. Hemsworth plays Curt, the hard-headed jock who is dating the popular cheerleader, and he obviously succeeds with ease, as we’ve seen him with a similar demeanor before. Don’t let the letterman jacket fool you, though. Hemsworth is a well-read and educated sociology major and a spirited team leader. His character’s narrative arc is badass and heroic throughout. Hemsworth shows some real depth in his portrayal, especially when you see it from start to finish.

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3. Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

• Metacritic: 60%
• IMDb: 7.1/10
• Duration: 141m
• Genre: Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Crime
• Stars: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson

From director/writer Drew Goddard comes the twist-happy, storyline pileup, Tarantino-esque mystery film Bad Times at the El Royale, which is bloody, witty, and also somehow a bit confused. Seven complete strangers check into the eerily tidy yet desolate El Royale hotel on the border of Nevada and California, all for their own reasons, which will be revealed in thrilling and bloody fashion. Hemsworth, though not one of those seven strangers, is the highlight of the film in a role I had never expected him to shine in. Without getting too far into spoiler territory, he plays an unsettlingly charming leader of what can only be described as a cult, inspiring his followers to stay with him to any end. In this role, Hemsworth is, of course, very alluring as usual, but with a sort of Woodstock meets Manson family energy. Again, I don’t want to give too much away, but the scene where he dances — button-up fully open revealing his impeccable physique — sensually and terrifyingly to Deep Purple’s Hush is definitely the scene that stood out most in the entire film.

2. Star Trek (2009)

• Metacritic: 82%
• IMDb: 7.9/10
• Duration: 127m
• Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
• Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana
• Directed by: J.J. Abrams

An unforgettable, exhilarating, and witty revival of the classic sci-fi series , Star Trek is an absolute blast from start to finish. Acting as a stand-alone origin story, we see the beginnings of the Starship Enterprise and its crew, led by its fearless captain, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). Right from the beginning, audiences are sucked into the action and story as though by a tractor beam from a Borg cube. Most of the instant appeal starts in the opening performance from Hemsworth as Kirk’s father, the proud and honorable Capt. George Kirk, doing what captains do best and sacrificing himself. Though his screen time is short and the rest of the movie is uniformly excellent, his emotional performance connects instantly with the audience. Hemsworth’s turn here says a lot about his potential in any role.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

• IMDb: 6.9/10
• Duration: 117m
• Genre: Action, Fantasy, Comedy
• Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon
• Directed by: Paul Feig

Yet again a movie that rehashes an already stellar franchise, Ghostbusters stars a hilarious all-female cast, except for Hemsworth. Attempting to prove that ghosts are real and a threat, a paranormal researcher and a physicist form a team to fight the evils that come to prey on New York City. Composed of such comedians as Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and the underrated Kate McKinnon, Hemsworth is just the bow on the box that ties the story together. Though not a main character, he takes his direction — flipping the script by being a sexy but stupid male secretary — and gives it an extra boost. His comedic timing and utter lack of common sense are genuinely hilarious and original, making this my favorite of his non-Thor performances. The funniest scene in the movie — where Hemsworth interviews for the secretary job — was 100% improvised. That was shocking and outstanding to discover, making any viewer more excited to see what kind of performance he can come up with next.

The post The 10 best non-Marvel Chris Hemsworth movies, ranked appeared first on The Manual .

• Chris Hemsworth

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Personal details

• 6′ 3″ (1.91 m)
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• Trivia Has gained 20 pounds of muscle for the title role in Thor (2011) .
• Quotes I love the adventure that comes with this work, the travel and all that. But also the craft, the storytelling. From a kid, I remember enjoying certain books and getting swept away in movies.
• Trademarks Deep resonant voice
• Salaries Extraction II ( 2023 ) $20,000,000

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Chris Hemsworth addresses potential Star Trek return for fourth movie

"Let's go for it!"

Since then, stars of the franchise have been addressing their plans to return to the universe, with Thor 's Chris Hemsworth being the latest to affirm his keenness to make another appearance on starship USS Enterprise, reprising the role of George Kirk.

"There was talk about me doing the film with Chris Pine at one point, the script was put together and then it fell apart. But if J.J. Abrams called me tomorrow and said: 'Chris Pine and I want to do it', I'd probably say: 'Yeah, let's go for it'," he revealed to Vanity Fair .

Related: Star Trek 4 gets positive update from Paramount boss

Hemsworth appeared in the first of the rebooted Star Trek films in 2009 and also reflected on how it helped him to then achieve the role of Thor for Marvel .

"I'd shot Star Trek and then I had about about eight or nine months where I couldn't get a job. Then the film came out and it gave me some momentum. I had auditioned for Thor a few times but didn't get a callback. I then had the opportunity to have another callback. Star Trek had come out, Kenneth Branagh had seen it. I do think it helped in many, many ways. I think J.J. Abrams and Kenneth had a conversation.

"The initial audition I sent was with my mum and I, and my mum was reading as Anthony Hopkins, so I don't know, maybe it was her read that somehow swayed the vote there."

Related: Thor 's Chris Hemsworth reveals why he was disappointed with The Dark World

Meanwhile, Hemsworth has recently clarified where the latest Thor movie, Love and Thunder , fits within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe , confirming that it will pick up from the events of Avengers: Endgame .

" Endgame left with Thor giving the Kingship to Valkyrie on Earth, and Thor was at a pretty emotionally complex place at the time… he was a little out of shape, which represented his emotional complexity. He went off on a journey of self-discovery with the Guardians of the Galaxy , and that's kind of where we pick up."

Star Trek 4 is yet to announce a release date, whilst Thor: Love and Thunder will premiere July 7 in the UK and July 8 in the US. The other three Thor movies are available to stream now on Disney+ .

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Hannah Bird is a freelance sub-editor with over 10 years of experience in content creation and editorial across digital and print media. 

Beginning as a Lifestyle and Travel Editor, Hannah's expertise has since spanned entertainment, health, wellness and science , developing a keen eye for copy editing. Bringing her research skills as an Earth Science academic, Hannah enjoys thoroughly delving into topics to explore new angles and offer fresh stories to readers, as well as priding herself on the content's accuracy.

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Chris Hemsworth is in talks to join another blockbuster franchise.

After playing Marvel’s Thor and the deranged villain Dementus in George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Hemsworth is in talks to star in the upcoming crossover between the “ Transformers ” and “G.I. Joe” franchises from Paramount.

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This would mark the second “Transformers” role for Hemsworth, as he’s already starring in the animated movie “Transformers One.” He voices young Optimus Prime, back when he was just known as Orion Pax, in the film, which opens in theaters on Sept. 20.

Di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Michael Bay, Tom DeSanto & Don Murphy will produce the crossover, and Steven Spielberg and Hasbro Entertainment will executive produce. 

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William Shatner Calls Return To Star Trek “Intriguing Idea,” Suggests Digital De-Aging To Play Kirk Again

| May 6, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 61 comments so far

The star of the original Star Trek series (and several Star Trek movies) turned 93 in March, and William Shatner still sees the possibility of returning to the role of James T. Kirk.

Kirk still intrigues Shatner

William Shatner is promoting his new documentary You Can Call Me Bill , which has recently been released on Video on Demand . While out promoting, of course he’s been asked questions about Trek, including one he has been getting for decades: Would you play Kirk again? In a new interview with Canadian Press , Shatner said:

“It’s an intriguing idea… It’s almost impossible but it was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.”

William Shatner as Kirk in Star Trek Generations

Shatner last played Kirk 30 years ago in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations , which featured the death of Kirk. The actor has an idea of for way to bring him back as Kirk. From the Canadian Press interview:

He suggests he could play a younger version of the Starship Enterprise captain as he’s recently signed on to be the spokesperson for OTOY, a company specializing in technology that “takes years off of your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are.”

Earlier this year Shatner said he was open to the idea of an AI-generated performance of him as a younger Kirk, but only after he had passed away (and after his family was paid, naturally). But in this case, Shatner is suggesting using technology for his own performance. De-aging has become more common in films today. Perhaps the most extensive use of this was for last year’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny , which shaved around four decades off of Harrison Ford . Star Trek has used digital de-aging before, most extensively in Star Trek: Picard which used it to de-age Brent Spiner as Data, as well as Patrick Stewart as Picard and Jonathan Frakes as Riker.

De-aged Patrick Stewart as Picard and Jonathan Frakes as Riker in “Seventeen Seconds”

Going to the expense of bringing back William Shatner as James T. Kirk and digitally de-aging him would require a specific reason. The franchise has already recast the role twice with younger actors, Chris Pine for the last three feature films and Paul Wesley on the Strange New Worlds television series.

Of course, it’s always hard to tell how serious Shatner is with these comments. In the same interview, he joked about how Kirk could be brought back after his body and brain were frozen:

“‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here.’ There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!’”

You can hear much more from Shatner, including his regrets about Kirk’s death scene in Generations , in the new documentary You Can Call Me Bill .

Keep with all the Trek celebrity news at TrekMovie .

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Well his body is at Daystrom Station and we did hear the biomedical beep…

Did we just find Legacy’s villain?

A couple of episodes of Discovery back I think Stamets said that this founder of life species could ‘eventually bring them (people) back’.

Could certainly be a way to get characters back from dead.

Not sure how he made the jump from “can encode information in DNA to direct evolution towards a general body plan” to “can reanimate a corpse”, but as good a way as any to bring him back I suppose.

That was a fun ‘cameo’ I wonder how Shatner felt about it ?

I wonder if he’s actually aware that it happened.

It’d be great if they could figure out some way to use that, if, for no other reason than to give Kirk a better send off than the one in Generations. I just saw that film again recently. I used to give it extra points for having Shatner’s last performance as Kirk and the great Picard Kirk chemistry and having Malcolm McDowell as the villain. That’s all great, to be sure. But there is no getting around the clumsy and contrived screenplay. Both Brannon Braga and Ronald Moore have both said they blew it. Malcolm McDowell says GEN was terrible. IIRC, Shatner said a while back that he felt that he just didn’t make Kirk’s death work.

For all those reasons, GEN might be the worst of the TNG films.

I’d be onboard with him playing an older Kirk and there just being no explanation for it. I’d be onboard with voicing Kirk in an animated Trek movie. I’ve got zero interest in seeing him voice some de-aged CGI monstrosity. I’ve got less than zero interest in that; we gotta get negative numbers involved to express how little I’d like for that to happen.

Agreed about the CGI. No thanks. But you make good points as to an animated production, his voice is still strong.

his voice is strong when paired with his age visually, but if you put his 90-year-old voice with a 50-year-old Kirk, you’d bump on it.

The Indiana Jones Dial of Destiny de-aging looked pretty fantastic, but Ford’s voice was, well…weak in comparison. You could just tell it was 80 year old Ford

And Ford was noticeably pitching his voice differently there than for the rest of the movie, too. So you had an actor in better health than most 79 year-olds managing to convince in terms of how he moved, but not quite in how he sounded. I can’t imagine Shatner being able to pull that off, even if they de-aged him back to his 60s. It would need some scripting to not tax him too much physically, and then if any digital tricks were done to his voice… I’d say why bother? It’s such a huge expense – Dial of Destiny cost (and lost) a fortune in part because of the de-aging budget. The Irishman, The Mandalorian and Star Trek: Picard’s big budgets and top talents didn’t hold to convincingly de-aging Robert DeNiro, Mark Hamill and Brent Spiner, respectively.

Find a way to include Shatner as he is now.

or just move to high-quality animation and then you don’t have to worry about aging out

It’d be great, if the fourth Kelvin movie actually gets sorted out, to figure out a way to include Shatner. People have suggested the Nexus, say, Kelvin Kirk meeting Prime Kirk’s image there, but then you have to bring back the whole Nexus thing and figure out a way to put that in.

Maybe use the Guardian of Forever to bring back a deaged Shatner, say, right before the Enterprise B ride? Something like that?

Or, just the cameo thing that Orci wrote with a message to Spock Prime from Kirk Prime that Kelvin Spock shares with Kelvin Kirk. But that’s just a cameo.

There’s definitely a way of doing it. The question is, again, can you do it in a way that services the plot and not as a gimmick or cameo, or something completely contrived as Generations largely was?

Animated and standalone TOS movie-era Kirk movie – that would be interesting. On an adventure with Chekov and Sulu? Certainly a great reason to keep my subscription…

How to rectify that horrendous death scene in Gen/1994, and what credible script can be written for it, the first two things that jump to mind. I’m an old-time Shatner Kirk fan, he’s my favorite Trek character, but I feel this particular ship has sailed. Makes me sad to say so, too. That being said, if it happened I’d be thrilled and all over it.

His body was claimed by Section 31 in something called Project Phoenix, and the wording there is that he was critically injured. There’s a way for a writer to do it.

I can dig that, I’m with you, but we need really GOOD writers.

I keep beating this drum. Trek has really good writers – dozens of them. They *really* need to leverage the novel authors like Ward, Bennett, Mack

I always thought about reworking the rules of the Nexus that could somehow undo Kirk leaving to fight Soran and leave him alive in there.

Alternate timelines are a dime-a-dozen in the franchise. Surely some ship in some series can wander into one where an aged Kirk is still alive…

I wish we could bring back Bill for a proper swan song. I would watch it with no hesitation. Supposedly, Tarantino’s script would have brought back Shstner’s Kirk. Such a wasted opportunity…..it would have been glorious….

Really? Where did you read that?

I heard rumours Shatner might’ve been involved in the supposed ‘Piece of the Action’ style QT film (the script writer saying it had abit of time travel), but i think it was just speculation (id imagine QT wouldve wanted him in there even if just a cameo and I very much doubt Shatner would’ve turned him down)

I don’t care for any of the new stuff. Bring back William Shatner as James T. Kirk along with actually good writers who know Star Trek prior to 2009. Even though TNG and Voyager were the series of my generation and childhood, for me William Shatner IS and forever will be both James T. Kirk and Star Trek. Kirk was a manly man, something surely lacking in today’s culture. Any “Star Trek” poster for the franchise as a whole that lacks Shatner or relegates him to a diminished status or stature in the background is NOT Star Trek. Star Trek, just like Star Wars, needs a major course correction. Cancel all the new stuff, which only a tiny minority of people are even watching and instead Bring back George Lucas to helm Star Wars and William Shatner to star in Star Trek. William Shatner IS the Star of STAR Trek period.

Disagree with me if you wish, because in the United States you are free to be wrong.

I don’t think one in five Paramount+ subscribers is an especially tiny amount.

How about no.

I don’t mind at all, to be honest. Though I’m onboard with Bill Shatner *voicing* Jim Kirk in an animated Star Trek show or movie.

Bill sure knows how to get headlines.

I would love to see him return

i’d like to see him and chris pine do a few scenes together. but its not necessary let shatner move on from the character

Just throwing this out there for free for anybody to use: we all wanted Kirk to go out aboard the Enterprise. Kirk probably wanted that too. So …

You take the unused concept for GENERATIONS (the Hurley script) where they bring Kirk back on the holodeck to help solve a problem only he can. But in the course of the discussion, it is revealed Kirk died on some backwater world. HoloKirk seems a little saddened by this, probably even angry about it, a kind of Danny Glover-esque ‘that ain’t right’ moment (Glover uses that in more than one film, I think, sort o like how he uses ‘all we really got is each other’ in more than one film, at least as I recall, but that’s a digression.)

Later in the film, when all seems lost, HoloKirk winds up piloting an evacuated Enterprise (who cares what letter it is!) into the principal antagonist, thus saving the day once more while also fulfilling his preference (going out on the ship) and his prophecy (dying alone.)

For me, this would pay off the way Kirk should have gone out in the first place, piloting an abandoned smoldering-wreck Enterprise-A into a taken-over spacedock to wipe out Fed/Kling/Rom conspirators who all want an endless and thus endlessly profitable war at the end of a TUC-variant movie. (got the idea from an unused — and mostly godawful — Sean Connery Bond script that had SPECTRE take over the Statue of Liberty, which is then attacked by helicopters, and climaxes with blood dripping out of the statue’s ‘eye.’) Even could have a moment of DOOMSDAYMACHINE-esque humor, as Kirk’s E hurtles toward spacedock, where the dock voice does an echo of ST III with ‘warning, space doors are closed, warning, space doors are closed,’ and Kirk grins wryly and responds, ‘Sorry, I am not programmed to respond in that area,’ a very in-joke ref to I, MUDD. (okay the last bit is probably too much, but when I get goin … )

There, maybe I’ve gotten that out of my system for good now.

BTW, you folks should watch the Bill Mahar from a couple weeks ago with Shat … he was ‘on’ in an unbelievably impressive way, sharper than I can remember seeing him in decades, which is saying a lot. It’s almost like he has settled into a delivery that calls back to ‘here it comes’ from TWOK, very with-it and knowing.

It would be amazing to have him back, he is still so smart and hard spoken. At least there would be none of the current constant emotions sharing bs that had plague the last seasons of Discovery.

Can they digitally remove his ham acting?

I think you … keep … missing .. the … picture here.

I’ve said it for years; just let Shatner play a klingon commander and chew the scenery like a madman. It would be so much fun to watch! :)

I think Shatner and Lower Decks could be fun.

I like that idea.

I never liked the way Kirk was killed in Star Trek Generations. Yes, 30 years have passed. This screams ‘Short Trek’ for me — Kirk is back from Veridean III and still helping the federation in the 25th century.

Yes, it’s been 30 years but the character did NOT a proper send off.

Also — Lower Decks could have him back and explain why Kirk’s return is still a secret — and just have a great episode where Shatner voices a Returned Kirk

There is always the clone option open to future Trek writers. Shinzon was a clone of Picard from some skin cells so in theory any alien race that ever came into contact with Kirk and got some of his DNA could have cloned Kirk.

How do we know there isn’t a clone of James T Kirk out there in the galaxy somewhere in the 23rd/24th Century?

It would be Kirk but would not have had Kirk’s life experiences, maybe too deep and complex for a movie appearance but just putting it out there.

I know many people would love to see Shatner play Kirk again, but for me I have never really felt the same way. Sure if they could find a good story or reason to bring him back I would certainly be curious, but I think most of fandom have moved on long long ago.

It would just feel like unnecessary fan service to me at this point for a character who has literally been dead for 30 years now.

Same time though I also admit Shatner will probably forever remain the only real James Kirk for me since I’m not overly fond of the new actors who has replaced him since.

I would love to see a Kirk final appearance as great as Nimoy’s final full performance as Spock was in 2009 (his 2013 cameo was fine, but unremarkable). It seems very likely that Shatner will not live long enough for that ever to happen in a movie. Also he let them kill off his Kirk, so that has always been a big problem for a return appearance (although apparently there is an unused hologram scene written for him from 2009).

Unless Shatner were willing to do a Short Trek, logistics alone probably mean he will never be Kirk again.

Ya know if they had just left Kirk well enough alone with his fantastic goodbye in ST VI I would totally agree. I wouldn’t need more. But man that Generations death is SUCH a travesty I’ve never been able to drop it (pun intended)

Same here. I don’t see the point of it, other than wish fulfillment for some fans.

Although I like both new Kirks, I tend to think of them as entirely different characters.

I want to see a de-aged Shatner back as TJ Hooker.

Well the Fall Guy has bombed so that means another 15y until another 80s series getting the big screen treatment (last was A-Team in 2010 which bombed and put pay to the TJ Hooker movie that was in development which would’ve co starred Shatner)

We got a 5 minute return of Hooker with the movie Showtime (DeNiro/Eddie Murphy)

I’ve always loved Shatner ..and I always will…

I’ll never be able to forgive Paramount for cancelling Orcis/Shatners ST3 for Pegg/Lins Guardians/Furious inspired Beyond ..

Damn you Paramount, you crushed my dreams.. Orcis’ dreams, and Shatners dreams..

I would have liked to have seen that movie too, but didn’t Nimoy die before it would have happened anyway?

Yes but it could’ve obviously been incorporated into the film (as it was in Beyond) , the plot seemed more ‘Kirk Prime’-centric anyway (from what I understand)

There are so many variables though with that one and a lot of missing information. Did Orci’s script ever get leaked? All I’ve ever seen are rumors about time travel, a comment from Pegg that Paramount thought it was -too- Star Trek, and then Orci’s mad rants. That’s not much to go on, and all that on top of the idea of entrusting a $100 million+ budget to a first-time director? It could have delighted us or been an even bigger disaster. We don’t have enough information, all we know is Beyond disappointed at the box office, was marketed poorly, and perhaps did not quite unite fandom the way the 2009 film seemed to.

I do think Beyond’s plot wouldn’t have been out of place as a two-parter on any of the shows, but with enough big budget spectacle to make that a good thing (as opposed to Insurrection, when the lack of scope and ambition was a big criticism). They destroyed the Enterprise but it wasn’t much of a shock, gave Kirk some worthwhile misgivings to work through, split up the characters cannily, gave us a good new crew member (Jaylah) and another undercooked villain. A mixed bag, but I enjoyed it more than STID, and I am not confident Orci would have delivered the goods in time without way more help.

No leaked script, just Orci hinting what it was about in tweets and on TM comments (villain wanting to change the kelvin timeline back to prime timeline via some ancient device , Kirk Prime somehow returns and assists new kirk & spock in the dilemma to save the timeline or not. Bryan Cranston potential villain, Shatner CG deaged, Alice Eve. not titled ‘Beyond’) which to me sounds like a natural progression from the first film (once certain factions find out about Nero altering the timeline they might want to try reverse things/restore vulcan, or kidnap Spock Prime for info on the future ), Orci was set to direct yes but they could’ve got someone else and just used his script (Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish and Rupert Wyatt were rumoured at various points, of course had JJ not jumped ship to SW maybe he’d have used the Orci script?) of course Paramount then decided Trek needed to be more Guardians of the Galaxy and Orcis script was ‘too star trek’ so in came Pegg/Jung/Lin to do Beyond (which felt like such a non event, similar to Insurrection in certain ways)

btw, 15years today since ST09!!

(and over half that time waiting on ST4)

Woof. That’s the time it took to make the entire run of TOS films and Generations.

everything was going ok until Beyond and then all the ST4 fiascos (Hemsworth/Pine pay disputes, Hawley, Tarantino, and more), there couldve easily been another 2 movies from around 2018 to now

Cracks started to form with STID. They spent too much, fan opinion was divided. They had to tread more carefully the next time out. Can’t argue they bungled it a bit for Beyond, but nothing I’ve read convinces me Roberto Orci’s script was the answer.

Even if the next big screen crew is configured with all-new characters, a storyline which somehow enables a last hurrah for Bill Shatner could be lively fun, and a huge publicity boost for the movie.

But I agree with those who’d rather see him perform as he is now, with no CGI ‘de-aging’ malarkey whatsoever.

Perhaps the storyline could somehow involve ‘multi-verse/alternate universe’ shenanigans, where the Captain and crew end up incredibly encountering….an elderly, but still vital ‘alternate Admiral Kirk’…

….but due to the ship’s current Captain being incapacitated at some point, this highly experienced nonagenarian has to take temporary command of the ‘Captain’s chair’ aboard the starship in this particular universe….to save the crew from whatever anomaly caused their meeting in the first place….so that he can somehow return to the arms of his elderly ‘alternate universe’ wife and son….and save the day for them all.

He’s in Daystrom Station – just get him out of there for a Star Trek Streaming Film and let him play Kirk (without de-aging).

The side by side profile of a Shatner from his TOS movie days shows how much and how little his face have has changed in some areas

With the upcoming 60th Anniversary it would seem to be a good time for this. Unfortunately given the state of Paramount it is difficult to know what will be produced . The 50th was a missed opportunity. Perhaps there is hope to do something special for the 60th. Having Shatner come back as Kirk would be special. I understand some fans do not want anymore nostalgia but I think this would be worth it. Hopefully if it were to happen it would be done effectively.

I’m honestly surprised Terry didn’t make Star Trek the Return canon. Seeing the easter egg in Picard season 3.

Imagine if they make Star Trek Legacy an adaptation on Shatners The Return (obviously no Spock or Bones now but still with Kirk/Shatner)