Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Casts Vampire Diaries Star as Captain Kirk

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has officially found its James T. Kirk. On Tuesday, Paramount+ announced that The Vampire Diaries and Tell Me a Story star Paul Wesley will be joining the cast of the live-action drama series in its already-greenlit second season. This comes before the first season's debut, which is expected to kick off this upcoming May. The role was previously portrayed by William Shatner in Star Trek: The Original Series, and Chris Pine in the now-currently-running series of live-action Star Trek films. Paramount+ also released a first official look at Wesley in costume, which you can check out below.

"Paul is an accomplished actor, an astonishing presence and a welcome key addition to the show. Like all of us, he is a life-long Star Trek fan and we are excited by his interpretation of this iconic role," Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers said in a statement.

Wesley is best known for playing Stefan Salvatore across the eight-season run of The Vampire Diaries, as well as stints on Smallville, Tell Me a Story, and Army Wives. He has also become a prolific director and producer, with episodes of Roswell, New Mexico and Shadowhunters.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds brings back fan-favorite stars Star Trek: Discovery Season 2: Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series follows Pike, Spock, and Number One before Captain Kirk's command of the USS. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds across the galaxy. The series also stars Jess Bush as Nurse Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La'an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Cadet Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Lt. Erica Ortegas, and Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M'Benga.

Akiva Goldsman wrote Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' premiere episode, based on a story by Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet. Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers are co-showrunners, with Goldsman also directing the premiere. Goldsman, Kurtzman, and Lumet serve as executive producers, with Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, and Aaron Baiers. CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment produce the series.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, Australia, and the Nordics. The series will air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave in Canada, with additional announcements about international availability still forthcoming. Paramount Global Content Distribution distributes the series. 

What do you think of Paul Wesley playing Captain Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will debut on Paramount+ on May 5th.