‘I don’t have the energy’: Chris Pine shares ‘frustration’ at lack of progress on Star Trek 4

‘In Star Trek land, the actors are usually the last people to find out anything,’ Pine claimed

Chris Pine has shared his “frustration” at the lack of communication over the fourth Star Trek film.

The actor starred as Captain James Kirk in the three Star Trek reboot films in 2009, 2013 and 2016. A fourth film has been in development since 2015, with Pine’s return announced in 2022, but little further progress has been made.

In a new interview, Pine admitted that he wasn’t sure whether there would be another Star Trek film after 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, saying that the franchise “feels like it’s cursed”.

“I don’t know anything,” he told Esquire. “In Star Trek land, the actors are usually the last people to find out anything. I know costume designers that have read scripts before the actors.

“I would say it’s frustrating. It doesn’t really foster the greatest sense of partnership, but it’s how it’s always been.”

Pine continued: “I love the character. I love the people. I love the franchise. But to try to change the system in which things are created – I just can’t do it. I don’t have the energy.”

The search for a director for Star Trek 4 is ongoing, with JJ Abrams telling the publication that he still feels hopeful.

“I will say it’s the first time [since the original reboot] that we have a story that feels as compelling as the first one,” he said.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Pine in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness' (Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock)

In February 2022, Abrams and executive Brian Robbins announced at a Paramount investors event that Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldaña, and John Cho would all be returning for the next film.

Paramount has been trying to reunite the cast members since 2018, when negotiations with Pine and Chris Hemsworth (who played Captain Kirk’s father in 2009’s Star Trek) fell through.

In 2019, Star Trek 4 was reportedly cancelled by Paramount studios, with some industry insiders claiming that relationships with Pine and Hemsworth over contract negotiations had broken down. News on the project has been scarce ever since.