The narrative universe of ‘Star Trek’ has found a new James T. Kirk: the 39-year-old American Paul Wesley He was in fact hired to play the iconic character in the second season of the TV series ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’, produced for Paramount +.
With an unusual move, the announcement was made even before the first season’s debut, scheduled for May 5, 2022. However, the second is already in progress and, considering Kirk’s specific weight, it was decided to immediately communicate his presence, even if it will be necessary to wait before being able to see him in action on the deck of the spaceship USS Enterprise . However, as the filming of season 2 is underway, it was possible to show a first image of Paul Wesley wearing the uniform of the Federation of United Planets.
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ is created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet: it is a spin-off series compared to ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ and at the same time a prequel to the classic series, the one in which Captain Kirk was played by William Shatner. The new show chronicles the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike (played by Anson Mount) and the crew of the Enterprise, featuring First Officer Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) and Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck). Few details are known about the plot, but it seems that ‘Strange New Worlds’ the format of the original series will follow and will stage the exploration of a new planet in each episode.
Paul Wesley will make his entrance on the scene during the second season, bringing as a dowry the experience gained especially in the eight seasons of the TV series ‘The Vampire Diaries’, but also in shows like ‘Everwood’, ’24’ and the most recent ‘Tell Me a Story’. In the press release announcing his entry into ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ we read words of praise from Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman: “Paul is a complete actor, has a remarkable stage presence and is a crucial addition to the cast of the TV series. Like all of us, he is a longtime fan of ‘Star Trek’ and we are thrilled with how he played the role of James T. Kirk. “