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Paul Wesley Joins the Cast of Strange New Worlds

An Original Series favorite is set to return for season two


Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Paul Wesley

Marni Grossman/Paramount+

Paramount+ announced today that Paul Wesley has joined the season two cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as James T. Kirk, the iconic character originated by William Shatner in Star Trek: The Original Series. “Paul is an accomplished actor, an astonishing presence and a welcome key addition to the show,” executive producer Alex Kurtzman and showrunners/executive producers Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers said in a joint statement. “Like all of us, he is a life-long Star Trek fan and we are excited by his interpretation of this iconic role.”

Wesley starred in eight seasons of the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, one of the network’s most watched shows. He also was featured in Paramount+’s series Tell Me a Story, as well as other projects including upcoming horror film History of Evil. An accomplished director and producer as well, Wesley has directed episodes of The Vampire Diaries, Roswell, New Mexico, and Legacies.

Teaser Trailer | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew in the years before Kirk rises to the Enterprise’s captain’s chair. Other cast members include Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Spock. Season two has recently started production, with season one set to premiere on May 5 exclusively on Paramount+ in the United States, Latin America, Australia, and the Nordics.

James Kirk is a role that is beloved by audiences and is an exciting addition to the season two cast of Strange New Worlds. Excited to see Kirk’s return to the Star Trek Universe? Let us know @StarTrek on social media!

I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk. Ever since I was a kid, I have been awed by the imaginative world Gene Roddenberry created.
Recently, I boarded a flight to LA to discover that the man in the pic.twitter.com/U8GVD4ZemP

— Paul Wesley (@paulwesley) March 15, 2022

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 international availability to be announced at a later date. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.