They don’t need Chris Hemsworth to return. Scrap the George Kirk
storyline, give Pine more money, and do a decent Mirror Universe movie,
and I guarantee there’ll be praise from Trek fans and
audiences, but don’t act like Pine isn’t key to the franchise’s current
success. It’s never wise to bet against Jim Kirk.
producer Adi Shankar said: “Losing Pine and Kirk is not a big deal and kind of cool.“