Paul Wesley is about to step into some Shatner-sized shoes.
As The Hollywood Reporter reports, the former “Vampire Diaries” star has signed on to play Capt. James T. Kirk in the upcoming spinoff series “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”, set to stream on Paramount+.
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On Instagram, Wesley reacted to the announcement, writing, “I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk.”
According to Paramount+, “Strange New Worlds” is based on the years that Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. In addition to Mount, other actors reprising their roles from “Star Trek: Discovery” include Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock.
“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 official synopsis.
As the synopsis indicates, Wesley’s Kirk won’t be arriving until the show’s second season, with production currently underway in Toronto.
Along with the announcement, Paramount+ also shared a first-look photo of Wesley in character, presumably on the Enterprise bridge.
“Paul is an accomplished actor, an astonishing presence and a welcome key addition to the show,” said executive producer Alex Kurtzman and co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers in a statement. “Like all of us, he is a life-long ‘Star Trek’ fan and we are excited by his interpretation of this iconic role.”
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As fans well know, William Shatner originated the role of James Tiberius Kirk in the original 1960s “Star Trek” series and then reprised the character in a successful movie franchise, with Kirk finally meeting his maker in 1994’s “Star Trek: Generations”.
Chris Pine was subsequently cast as a younger version of Kirk in a new “Star Trek” film franchise (set in the Kelvin timeline) that kicked off in 2009.
The first season of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” premieres on Thursday, May 5.
