Avengers: Endgame star Chris Hemsworth has opened up about why he won't be back for Paramount's Star Trek 4.
Back in 2009, J.J. Abrams rebooted the sci-fi franchise following Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002. Starring a brand new cast, including the likes of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana, Star Trek was a huge hit for the studio. Even though Star Trek Into Darkness went on to become the highest-grossing movie in the franchise's history, 2016's Star Trek Beyond wasn't quite as popular.
Hemsworth famously played George Kirk in Abrams' first movie, with various rumors suggesting that a fourth entry would somehow bring James T. Kirk's father back from the grave. Speaking to Variety, Hemsworth explained why he turned down Star Trek 4, saying, "I didn’t feel like we landed on a reason to revisit that yet. I didn’t want to be underwhelmed by what I was going to bring to the table."
Hemsworth said that he has become more selective with his movie roles -- presumably since finding fame as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- and is instead concentrating on the likes of Men In Black: International. Only last year, it sounded like Star Trek 4 had hit a major snag when sources claimed both Hemsworth and Pine were walking. Although this was put down to salary disputes, it now sounds like Hemsworth wanted out for a different reason.
Star Trek 4 was announced back in 2016 with Abrams producing a screenplay from J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, but there has been relatively little movement on the project. Whether S.J. Clarson really becomes the first woman to direct a Star Trek movie remains to be seen, but -- with the gap between entries getting bigger by the day -- Hemsworth's departure could be the least of the studio's worries.