Chris Pine was surprised when news of a new screenwriter for "Star Trek 4" broke because he was under the impression a script already existed.

Tarantino has long said it was Pine’s performance as Captain Kirk that generated his interest in contributing to the “Star Trek” film franchise that began with J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot.

As part of Chris Pine’s new Esquire cover story, franchise producer J.J. Abrams said the “Star Trek 4″ script is in a good place. “I will say it’s the first time [since the original ...