Chris Hemsworth joins 4th ‘Star Trek’ film

CEBU, Philippines - Hollywood—and now the Universe—has no shortage of Chrises.

Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Bad Robot revealed that Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth will co-star in a fourth film in the rebooted “Star Trek” franchise. The news came just four days before

“Star Trek Beyond” debuts in theaters.

“In the next installment of the epic space adventure, Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk will cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father,” a statement teased.

Hemsworth played James T. Kirk’s father, George Kirk, in the opening scenes of 2009’s “Star Trek.” The Australian actor did not reprise the role in its sequel, 2013’s “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

The remaining cast—which includes John Cho as Lt. Sulu, Simon Pegg as Lt. CDR Montgomery Scott, Zachary Quinto as CDR Spock, Karl Urban as Lt. CDR Dr. Leonard McCoy and Zoe Saldana as Lt. Uhura—is expected to return. A release date has not been set yet.

Also over the weekend, J.J. Abrams talked to E! News about the legacy Anton Yelchin left behind and how the franchise will move forward.

“The loss of Anton makes no sense at all, and it’s insane talking about him in the past tense. But he was an incredibly funny, self-aware, nutty, great kid. I mean, I cast him when he was 18 years old in the first film. It makes no sense that he isn’t here,” he said. “I know it’s true—we all know it’s true—but none of us can really process that.”

Abrams added that there is “no way” to recast his role. “The irony was that he was recasted already,” he said, referring to Walter Koenig, who played the character on TV and in seven “Star Trek” films.

“Anton was really one of a kind,” he said. “There is no recasting of the part.”

Yelchin was just as magnetic offscreen as his character was onscreen. In fact, director Justin Lin recalled how the 27-year-old actor eased his nerves after he first arrived on set.

“I knew it was going to be a period of earning each other’s trust. Anton came to the office. He came in and he had this big smile on his face, and it was as if we had known each other our whole lives. He just gave me a hug, and at that point I knew that everything was going to be okay. In many ways, that’s the spirit of Anton. I think nothing ever fazed him. He was always so optimistic and hopeful and he shows up to work every day with a smile on his face and 1,000 ideas. He was always curious. It also reminds me, that’s why I want to make movies. That will stay with me for the rest of my life.” (FREEMAN)