Star Trek: William Shatner Offers Firm Update on if He’ll Ever Reprise Captain Kirk Role
William Shatner has shared an update on whether he could return to Star Trek. The actor addressed fresh speculation surrounding a potential return as Kirk, explaining what would need to happen for him to consider reprising the role.
In a statement posted on September 26, he wrote, “In order to put a stop to the rumor mill before it starts producing even more fiction than Star Trek ever did, let me say this: If someone came up with a meaningful way to bring Captain Kirk back to life, and gave him something genuinely interesting to do that added to the beauty and spirit of Star Trek, I would be delighted to consider it. But that has never come up.”
Why William Shatner still doesn’t see a reason to bring Kirk back
Shatner does not want to reprise the role simply for the sake of returning. He said, “I love Star Trek just as much as all of you folks do. Kirk has been an extraordinary part of my life, and I would never want to bring him back simply for the sake of bringing him back.”
He concluded his statement by saying, “So, until someone comes knocking with an idea worthy of Kirk… I wait. For them. Or for eternity.”
The statement came days after Strange New Worlds co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers discussed the show’s efforts to involve Shatner. Myers said the team tried every season and came closest with a planned animated follow-up to “The City on the Edge of Forever.”
The planned story would have explored an alternate version of Kirk who remained in 1930s New York with Edith Keeler. However, the proposed animated episode was never produced. Myers said the team wrote several scripts for the story. The project ultimately remained an unmade Star Trek story.
Shatner’s last feature-film appearance as Kirk was in Star Trek Generations, released in 1994. The film ended with Kirk’s death, creating a story hurdle for any future live-action return.
Meanwhile, Strange New Worlds features Paul Wesley as a younger James T. Kirk. Wesley portrays the character during an earlier period in Kirk’s life, separate from Shatner’s later-era portrayal.
Originally reported on SuperHeroHype.com.
Source: Comingsoon.net