Why Chris Hemsworth Bailed on Star Trek 4

Chris Hemsworth has weighed in on why he opted not to participate in Star Trek 4, which may or may not happen at this point. This movie has been in the works for several years now. Producer J.J. Abrams initially got fans excited by revealing the idea was to have Hemsworth come back as Kirk's dad in a fourth installment of the rebooted franchise, even before 2016's Star Trek Beyond was released. For now at least, Hemsworth isn't ready to suit back up as George Kirk and, for him, it all comes down to the story.

J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek for modern audiences a decade ago with his 2009 movie that introduced us to the new cast. At the beginning of that movie, Chris Hemsworth appeared briefly as George Kirk before dying a heroic death in order to save thousands of lives. Somehow, some way, Abrams was going to bring him back via some sort of interesting sci-fi craziness. Now, in a recent interview, Hemsworth says he wasn't satisfied with what was being presented to him.

In the years since that first Star Trek movie was released, Chris Hemsworth has become a massive, global superstar, largely thanks to his work as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Chris Pine, who plays James Kirk in the franchise, has also become a big star in his own right. A report from August 2018 noted that Star Trek 4, which seemed to be coming together, was in danger of losing both of them, and it came down to money.

While that might be a part of it, it would seem story also is a factor, at least for Chris Hemsworth. Then again, it could be both things. They aren't mutually exclusive. In any event, the future of the franchise, or at least that particular movie, is very much uncertain. S.J. Clarkson, known for her work on shows such as Jessica Jones and Dexter, had been tapped by Paramount to direct the movie. She would become the first ever female director to helm a Star Trek movie in this long-running franchise. Unfortunately, that may never come to pass.

Related: Star Trek 4 Makes Franchise History with First Female Director

John Cho, who plays Sulu, seems confident the studio will work it out at some point. Meanwhile, they also have Quentin Tarantino's R-rated Star Trek movie kicking around, which he's going to circle back to once he's finished with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It's quite possible Paramount will head in that direction instead, depending on how the Tarantino feels about the script that Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) penned working form an idea he pitched to the studio. For Chris Hemsworth, he'll next be seen on screen in Men In Black: International, which hits theaters on June 14. This news was first reported by Yahoo.

Source: movieweb.com