Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth had both been set to return to Star Trek universe for the upcoming Star Trek 4, but it looks like they might be walking away.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, talks between producers and both stars have ground to a halt over salary figures. Pine and Hemsworth both starred in JJ Abrams’ 2009 reboot, but both have become quite a bit more famous since – whilst the Star Trek films have just done sort of okay at the box office. Paramount is being cautious about paying whatever fee both stars now demand, and unless someone backs down, we’re not getting Star Trek 4 with Pine and Hemsworth.
Potentially, of course, this means we won’t get Star Trek 4 at all. SJ Clarkson is on board to direct, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg and John Cho are all confirmed and the script is reportedly in the final stages – but without Captain Kirk the Enterprise probably isn’t going anywhere at all.
Do Paramount recast the lead role? Unikely. Do they make a Star Trek movie with a new Captain? Not without rebooting the whole cast. Can they swing for Pine, lose Hemsworth, and ditch the time travelling plot that’s already been written? Possibly, but that would likely mean a substantial time delay that would mess up everyone else’s schedules.
It’s still possible that Pine and Hemsworth will return – and that their agents are just playing chicken with the film’s producers – but holding a franchise to ransom like this doesn’t bode well.