Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto get renewed contracts for 'Star Trek 4'

As Star Trek 3 began production in Vancouver, Canada earlier this week, Paramount has signed two lead stars Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto for a potential fourth instalment.

Pine and Quinto, who play Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock respectively, have granted an option for Star Trek 4 as the studio renegotiated their deals, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sources said Paramount and Skydance Entertainment "recently completed last-minute re-negotiations with (Chris and Zachary), a move that has added as much as US $10 million to US $15 million to the budget."

Pine, who earned US $600,000 in 2009's Star Trek, US $1.5 million for Star Trek Into Darkness and US $3 million for Star Trek 3, reportedly scored US $6 million for the fourth movie.

Paramount ultimately made some concessions to the original Star Trek actors including Pine, Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and John Cho as the actors are getting more successful and more expensive.

The studio originally wanted to give nominal raises to the actors based on their 2007 contract, but their representatives argued that seven years had passed since then.

Under California law, a personal services contract cannot bind someone for more than seven years. That meant the cast's original deals were arguably invalid as of 2014.

Sources say that a condition of the raises for Pine and Quinto was because the studio was granted options for a fourth movie in order to keep Kirk and Spock intact.