Star Trek: William Shatner would play Captain Kirk again with the right script

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The actor hasn't portrayed Captain Kirk in a movie since 1994's Star Trek Generations

(Image credit: Paramount)

William Shatner would play Captain Kirk again, but the actor has a few conditions that would need to be met. 

Talking to Metro, Shatner detailed rather precisely what would need to happen for him to appear in as Captain Kirk for the first time in 26 years. 

"If they wrote it and it made reasonable sense then I’d love to [play Captain Kirk]," the actor said. But if he's going to come back as Captain Kirk, Shatner wants it to be a proper revival in a feature film. 

"I wouldn’t do a series," he clarified. "If the role was written properly and it wasn’t a cameo or gratuitous; being there just to show my face, I wouldn’t do that."

Shatner also clarified that he hadn't been contacted about appearing on Star Trek: Picard, and in fact confirmed he hadn't been watching the series. 

The fact that Shatner isn't interested in a series rules out the recent Star Trek TV shows, including the aforementioned Picard, as well as Discovery and Short Treks. As for new Star Trek movies, the last to release in cinemas was 2016's Star Trek Beyond, and it's unclear if that film will ever get a sequel. Regardless, it's safe to say Star Trek is sure to spawn at least a couple more movies at some point. Hopefully, then we'll see Shatner reprise his iconic role as Captain Kirk once more – maybe even in that rumoured Quentin Tarantino Star Trek movie?

While release schedules are more than a bit uncertain at the moment, here's what we know about the most exciting upcoming movies of 2020.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.