Star Trek: The Actors Almost Cast As Kelvin Timeline's James T. Kirk
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot ultimately starred Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, but a number of other actors were considered for the role. Conceived as a reworking of the ideas behind Star Trek: The Original Series with a new cast and a big-budget makeover, Abrams' Star Trek movies have since come to be known as the «Kelvin Timeline». The name stems from the alternate timeline its story takes place in, which allows not only for freedom from Star Trek's expansive continuity, but also for the recasting of the roles made iconic by The Original Series' actors.
The Kelvin Timeline's cast was rounded out by Simon Pegg as Montgomery «Scotty» Scott, Zoe Saldaña as Nyota Uhura, Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard «Bones» McCoy, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, and Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov. Leading Abrams' reboot was Zachary Quinto as Spock and Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, although the characters are entirely reshaped by their revised backstories. Pine and Quinto proved excellent choices as the figureheads of Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline, and although Captain James T. Kirk was always arguably Star Trek's most iconic leading man, he almost looked very different in Abrams' reboot.
Related: Star Trek 4 Already Has The Perfect New Chekov Setup
Before Pine was cast, a number of other actors were considered for the role. This isn't unusual for the recasting of such an iconic character, but some of the names that Pine beat out for the role in Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline movies are genuinely surprising, including a young pre-Parks & Recreation Chris Pratt, who was seriously considered to captain the Enterprise. However, the search for William Shatner's Captain Kirk replacement was wide, and there were a number of recognizable stars rumored to
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