Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine quit Star Trek 4 over pay

Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pine have reportedly quit the upcoming Star Trek 4 in a row over pay.

Pine was due to reprise his role as Captain James T. Kirk, while Hemsworth was signing on to play his father, Captain George Kirk, who he briefly portrayed in the prologue of the first of the rebooted sci-fi movies, Star Trek, back in 2009.

According to editors at The Hollywood Reporter, contract talks have now fallen apart, with both actors walking away from the table.

Negotiations with other returning cast members – including Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg and John Cho – has now been thrown into disarray.

Since the rebooted Star Trek movie, Hemsworth has gone on to have huge success, landing the role of Marvel superhero Thor, and he is due to star in the upcoming Men in Black spin-off, alongside Tessa Thompson and Liam Neeson.

Pine has starred in all three of the new Star Trek movies, and recently starred as Steve Trevor in the blockbuster smash hit Wonder Woman last year (17).

Both actors are said to be asking for Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media to stick to existing deals.

However, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Paramount is staunchly committed to a tight budget, as they believe the Star Trek franchise is not as successful as the Marvel or DC movies that Hemsworth and Pine have starred in.

The actors reportedly believe they’re being forced to take pay cuts on existing deals after 2016's Star Trek Beyond did not perform as well as expected, and only grossed $343 million (£269 million) worldwide on a budget of $190 million (£149 million).

It is unclear if the studio will go ahead with Star Trek 4 and recast the roles, or renegotiate Hemsworth and Pine's deals.

Reps for the actors have not yet commented on the report.