OG Captain Kirk, William Shatner, said he's cool with reprising his role as Captain James Tiberius Kirk in a film again, according to The Canadian Press.
He even has an idea on how to go about it.
The 93-year-old sci-fi icon said that he would be willing to helm the Starship Enterprise again… but there are conditions.
“It's an intriguing idea,” he began.
Shatner as Kirk once again
“It's almost impossible. But if 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,” Shatner continued.
His suggestion is that he could play his younger self, through a company he's working with which specializes in the so-called de-aging technology used in films such as 2019's The Irishman and Gemini Man.
The actor describes it as something that “takes years off your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are.”
However, his Kirk was killed in 1994's Star Trek: Generations. Shatner, though, suggested that his character's body and brain could have been frozen for either posterity or future science experiments so he could be revived later when the technology is deemed safe.
“We've got Captain Kirk's brain frozen here,” Shatner suggested.
“There's a scenario. ‘Let's see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper [in his hair]. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!” he added.
The Future of Star Trek… Beyond the fourth film
It's hard not to admire the actor's enthusiasm, and the possibility of this ever happening isn't zero, but it's close. It isn't the use of technology that makes Shatner's suggestion difficult to breathe life to. It's more the plans for Star Trek movies.
Currently, the only Star Trek film in production is Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek: Section 31. Paramount has also brought on board The Flight Attendant writer Steve Yockey to write a script for the planned fourth Star Trek. However, this film seems to be the last for Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as Kirk and Spock.
It has been almost a decade since Star Trek: Beyond was released. Yockey's script is supposedly the send-off for Pine and Quinto before the entire franchise is rebooted. This could be the a way to insert a Shatner cameo, and at the same time introduce a new Kirk and Spock.
The Star Trek Kelvin timeline films stalled with Beyond, released in 2016. Since then, it's mostly been streaming series. These have been successful. It started with Discovery which premiere in 2017 and is currently in its fifth and final season. Yeoh's Section 31 movie is a spinoff from this series. In 2020, Picard was launched and ran for three seasons which ended last year, although there have been talks of a film version.
Star Trek: Lower Decks, an adult animation, was released in 2020. Its fifth and final season will premiere later in the year. Prodigy, another animated version this time geared toward children, premiered in 2022. It originally debuted on Paramount+ but was cancelled. However, Netflix picked it up and is now gearing up for its second season.
The latest series, Strange New Worlds, was released in 2022. It currently has two seasons and as of March 2023, a third has been ordered. The third season will most likely premiere next year.
With all the timeline divergence and a fourth movie still being written, there's no reason that Shatner's suggestion couldn't push through. Besides, he's still a spry man. In fact in 2021, he went into space as part of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin team. He set a record as the oldest person to go into orbit.
Despite being in his 90s, the actor is still sharp and energetic. He says it's credit to his genetic luck and taking care of himself.
“I eat well, I exercise, I ride horses a lot,” he said about his health regimen.
Shatner is currently promoting You Can Bill, his biographical documentary released On Demand.
Follow Us
Subscribe