In 2009, J.J. Abrams successfully rebooted the beloved STAR TREK franchise with a new cast, but he didn’t do it without a pinch of that original flavor as Leonard Nimoy returned to reprise his role of Spock (an older version from an alternate reality). In 2013, Nimoy also appeared in the sequel, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, though only for a brief scene. Now, as reported by Badass Digest, STAR TREK 3’s producer Abrams and its new director Roberto Orci (who has been a part of the writing team since the first film in the rebooted franchise) may want William Shatner back as Captain Kirk.

Word has it that Shatner was originally offered a role in the 2009 film alongside Nimoy, but that he ultimately turned it down. It would seem that he’s not flat-out declining a return to the upcoming third film (or thirteenth, depending on the way you look at it), though. While appearing at the Wizard World Nashville convention, Shatner addressed the rumors with the audience (for Shatner’s full response, check out the video provided by Comicbook.com below):

It depends on what you do with the character, but I would be delighted. … So the news is out that they have an idea that they want Leonard and myself — they might want Leonard and myself in it — but I would love to do it. But how do you get me fifty years later into the movie? I mean how do you rationalize it. I know it’s science fiction, but even I couldn’t come up with an idea. So that’s the news on that.

Theories are swirling amongst fans as they try to puzzle together how Shatner could possibly return. The best one that I’ve read so far has Q sending Shatner’s Captain Kirk into the series’ new time frame to retrieve Spock and return him to their own alternate dimension.

No release date for STAR TREK 3 has been announced yet, but Orci recently confirmed that the script is complete. It’s expected that it’ll release in 2016 to coincide with the franchise’s 50th Anniversary.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ0kb5m6jzU