Paramount+ has officially announced that The Vampire Diaries alum Paul Wesley has been tapped to portray the iconic role of Captain James T. Kirk in the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series. The announcement comes with the release of a brand new photo, which you can check out below, featuring our first look at Wesley.
The beloved Star Trek character was first famously portrayed by William Shatner in the original series and films from 1966 to 1994. Later on, Chris Pine took over the role in 2009’s Star Trek film as well as in its sequels Star Trek Into the Darkness and Star Trek Beyond.
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In addition, the 39-year-old actor also went on to share his statement about his casting by sharing a story on Twitter about the time fate had led him to meet Shatner and sat beside him during a flight to Los Angeles.
I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk. Ever since I was a kid, I have been awed by the imaginative world Gene Roddenberry created.
Recently, I boarded a flight to LA to discover that the man in the pic.twitter.com/U8GVD4ZemP— Paul Wesley (@paulwesley) March 15, 2022
“I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T. Kirk,” Wesley posted. “Ever since I was a kid, I have been awed by the imaginative world Gene Roddenberry created. Recently, I boarded a flight to LA to discover that the man in the empty seat beside me was the one and only William Shatner, having himself just returned from space. I could barely put two words together but ultimately I managed to say hello and we chatted. I’m not one who usually believes in fate but this was more than a coincidence. And of course I had to get a picture. So thanks Mr. Shatner for the good company. And for seating us together, my thanks to the great bird in the sky. Can’t wait for all of you to see our Captain Kirk on your screens.”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be led by Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn, who are reprising their respective roles as Captain Christopher Pike, Spock, and Number One. They first portrayed the characters in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery.
Additional cast includes Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas, and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga.
“Based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the series will follow Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy,” reads the logline.
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The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiere is written by Akiva Goldsmith with the story by Goldsmith, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet. Executive Producers are Henry Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth.
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