Paul Wesley is joining the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Wesley is starring in the iconic role of James T. Kirk in the second season of the Paramount+ drama series. The role is best known for starring William Shatner.
The casting comes ahead of the launch of season one, which premieres in May. A second season of the show was renewed in January.
Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn/Una Chin-Riley) as they explore new worlds around the galaxy. Their adventures predate Captain Kirk’s ever stepping foot aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.
The cast also includes 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.
Wesley was previously one of the leads of The Vampire Diaries and also starred in Tell Me A Story for Paramount+ predecessor CBS All Access. He can also be seen in Shudder feature History of Evil alongside Stephanie Beatriz.
He has also directed episodes of Roswell, New Mexico, Shadowhunters and Legacies.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is showrun by Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers with the pair exec producing alongside Jenny Lumet, Heather Kadin, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, and Aaron Baiers.
The series is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment.
“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,” said Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers.
