(Updated 09/28/2022)
There are several major Chrises in Hollywood, each with unique strengths and tendencies. We're fans of each Chris, from Hemsworth to Pratt to Evans, but one is particularly enigmatic, even strange, and pleasantly off-kilter compared to the rest.
We’re talking, of course, about the only major Chris who has yet to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Chris Pine. The actor has quietly built the most varied career of the entire crew, succeeding in both big and small films alike. It’s difficult to pin Pine down. His willingness to color outside the lines gives him the freedom to explore in a way that eludes most other actors.
Case in point is a pair of new Chris Pine movies. One is DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, a high-fantasy film based on the insanely popular role-playing game. And then there's DON'T WORRY, DARLING, in which he appears to play a machiavellian bad guy. Before we look at our favorite Chris Pine movies, let's look into his future.
New Chris Pine Movies in 2022 and 2023
Chris Pine's next big movies are DON'T WORRY DARLING, from director Olivia Wilde, and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Pine is also directing the feature POOLMAN, which he also wrote and stars in. That will likely release in 2023.
Sadly, while has been set to return as Captain James T. Kirk in the next STAR TREK movie, the fate of that film is now uncertain. After director Adam Shankman took on FANTASTIC FOUR for Marvel, the new TREK was left without a director. Paramount has now taken the movie off its planned December 22, 2023 release date — but we hope to have further news soon.
(Chris Pine has also had two streaming movies in 2022: THE CONTRACTOR and ALL THE OLD KNIVES, and he appears in DOULA, which he also produced.)
Chris Pine as a Leader
Make all the Shatner jokes you want, Chris Pine's Captain Kirk is iconic. It takes guts to step into those space shoes, and yet Pine successfully pulled it off for a whole trilogy of films. Rather than simply imitate Shatner (which Pine proved he could do well when he hosted "SNL"), Pine channeled the character’s spirit into a new take that audiences had no problem accepting. That’s quite a feat for any actor.
We'll get to see these qualities again in the upcoming STAR TREK movie, and in DUNGEONS & DRAGONS as well.
He Can Support Like a Champ
Pine elevates material whether he's playing the lead or shining in a supporting role. The most obvious example: He starred as Steve Trevor in two WONDER WOMAN films. (An amazing trick, since his character died in part one.) Pine played the role in just the right way to lead us into the story of Diana Prince without ever overshadowing her. (This isn’t Pine’s only superhero moment. He also got to voice a version of Peter Parker in SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.)
Or how about a thriller the whole family can enjoy? In UNSTOPPABLE, Pine plays second fiddle to none other than Denzel Washington in a film that is pretty much impossible to dislike. The premise is simple: there’s an unstoppable train driving toward a horrible disaster. The only people who can stop it are Pine and Washington. Add some wild Tony Scott direction (this was, in fact, his final film), and you have a recipe for pure success. UNSTOPPABLE rules.
Some of Pine's Best Roles Are in Smaller Movies
"Yellowstone" mastermind Taylor Sheridan smartly cast Pine as half of a sibling bank-robber duo for this modern-day Western, HELL OR HIGH WATER. The actor presents charming outlaw bonafides alongside Ben Foster, playing the more rowdy brother. HELL OR HIGH WATER proved that even grumpy old dads could fall in love with Chris Pine.
Then there's STRETCH, in which Pine plays a really out-there guy wearing a barely-there costume. Or Z FOR ZACHARIAH, which puts him in a post-apocalyptic love triangle with Margot Robbie and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
DON'T WORRY DARLING opens on September 23.
All images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.