Chris Pine can't wait to get the cameras rolling on Star Trek 4. Recently, it was reported that the next Star Trek film would bring back Pine as Captain Kirk alongside other cast members from the reboot film trilogy. It was revealed soon after that the news took the cast completely by surprise as none of them had yet officially signed on and hadn't been made aware of the announcement beforehand.
Fortunately, everyone in the cast is happy to return, even if the news was a bit of a shock. In a new interview with Variety, Pine confirms that the cast was surprised by the news when it was revealed in the press, though he notes that this isn't exactly unusual. The actor is currently in talks to board the project, though as he explains, Pine also has yet to see the screenplay for Star Trek 4. In any case, he's very excited to get started.
"I think everybody was like, 'Did you hear about this?'" Pine said of the sequel announcement, referring to everyone in the cast texting each other to figure out what was going on. "We’re usually the last people to find out, but I do know we’re all excited. Whenever they want to send us a script, we’re ready for it... We haven’t seen a script. I don’t know anything about it."
When asked if he had trust in the unseen screenplay, Pine added, "I don’t trust anybody, but I’m excited. I love the story. I love Star Trek. I love my people."
Star Trek 4 Will Be Emotional For the Cast Without Anton Yelchin There on Set
While most of the main cast of the previous films will be coming back for Star Trek 4, Anton Yelchin will be noticeably absent. The actor, who played Chekov in the films, passed away in a freak accident in 2016 when he was just 27 years old. Recently, Zoe Saldana opened up on making the next film without Yelchin, and while she admits that it's going to be hard to film the sequel without his presence on the set, she feels that he would want them all to continue.
"We're excited," the Uhura actress explained. "Obviously, it's bittersweet because we are coming together for a fourth time and one of us is no longer with us with Anton's passing, but we honestly feel that going back and keeping the Star Trek family together is a way to really keep him alive in our thoughts and our hearts because he was such a fan. And he was such a devoted artist to the craft and also to Star Trek. So, it would be great to get to go back to work and get to, you know, be together with the gang."
After years of rumors and false starts on other Star Trek films, it appears that the long-awaited Star Trek 4 is moving forward. Yelchin will certainly be missed by the fans as well, though like the cast, the fans are excited to see the film finally coming close to production.