“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay revealed that when they were picked to write the follow-up to the 2016 film “Star Trek: Beyond,” they had envisioned a film that would bring back Chris Hemsworth to reprise his role in the 2009 “Trek” reboot as Capt. James Kirk’s supposedly dead father, George.
Payne and McKay have spent the last five years writing scripts with billions of dollars in Amazon money behind them for “The Rings of Power,” but once upon a time, they had been attached to write the long-delayed fourth installment in Paramount’s “Star Trek” reboot film series.