One of the more exciting moments of the 2009 Star Trek reboot was the revelation that it wasn't disregarding what came before, but starting a new timeline (now referred to as the Kelvin timeline). This transition was made easier by having Leonard Nimoy reprise his role as Spock to help guide the younger versions of the classic Star Trek characters.
Given that Nimoy reprised his role, there has been hope from some fans that William Shatner may be able to do the same and return as James Kirk in a future film, despite the character dying in Star Trek: Generations; there were even several rumours that Shatner would have a role in Star Trek Beyond before the film commenced production. However, according to producer J.J. Abrams, who directed the first two installments of the new timeline, Kirk's death in Generations is the main reason for Shatner's absence. “Obviously it’s Star Trek, nearly anything is possible," said Abrams. "There’s the fairly simple notion that on the day Kirk was born another timeline began. But in the other timeline, Kirk died onscreen (in Generations). I don’t know how he would come back unless we went into this other reality and we did a timeline and reality jump."
Abrams revealed that there have been conversations about finding ways to bring Shatner into the mix, including discussing it with the actor himself, but the discussions usually end up at the same dead end. “In all the years we’ve been working on this, I've yet to hear a pitch that didn’t sound too contorted and contrived for an audience to swallow. And I’ve talked to him (Shatner) about it. If Kirk had lived there’d be an answer. But there’s something about his having died that makes it impossible.”
Given the nature of Star Trek, anything could happen, and fans would probably never object to seeing both Kirks appear together onscreen. Would you want to see Shatner's Kirk in the rebooted series? Sound off below!