Chris Pine starring in first Italian-speaking role for The Kidnapping of Arabella

Chris Pine will star in his first Italian-speaking role in ‘The Kidnapping of Arabella’.

The 44-year-old actor signed on to the drama/tragedy which is being written and directed by Italian filmmaker Carolina Cavalli and will act as a sequel to her 2022 picture 'Amanda’.

The movie - which is being produced by Elsinore Film and Fremantle’s The Apartment - follows Holly (played by Bendetta Porcaroli) who is convinced she is the wrong version of herself until she meets a seven-year-old girl who makes the young woman change her mind.

Cavalli had previously said she was excited to explore the idea of "lonely people" coming together in the film, which is set to enter production this week in northern Italy between Veneto and Emilia Romagna.

She told Variety: "I think lonely people who come together to solve a problem have already solved the biggest one, and this is what makes me happy about this story."

Pine is best known for his role as Captain Kirk in the rebooted ‘Star Trek’ trilogy - which ran from the 2009 eponymous flick to ‘Star Trek: Beyond’ seven years later - but is in the dark about the possibility of another film.

The ‘Wonder Woman’ actor had previously cast doubt as to whether a fourth movie in the saga would go ahead and admitted he was surprised to learn that ‘The Flight Attendant’ creator Steve Yockey had been hired to write the script earlier this year, as he thought that a screenplay was already in existence.

When Business Insider asked Pine whether the fourth ‘Star Trek’ blockbuster was going ahead, he replied: "I honestly don’t know.

"There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it's always been with ‘Trek’, I just wait and see."

Even so, Pine emphasised he was willing to reunite with his co-stars - which include Simon Pegg and Zoe Saldana - and was "curious" as to what the story of the flick would be.

Speaking to PopVerse, he said: "We all like one another a lot. I’m good friends with everybody I’ve worked with. We have a great time doing it.

"I’m a lot older now, so I would be curious where that next story lands us in terms of what it would be and what we’ve said in the press."