Star Trek XI? ReBooted

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Star Trek XI? ReBooted

Jokerman · A List Star

YAY! I'm marking, love Heroes and ST.

Handsome Dead · A List Star

Should be good, although they really should do one which features cast from all the spin-offs or something. Tom Paris and Ben Sisko demand screen time.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

JJ Abrahams is also down to direct. Yes he of 24 and Mission Impssible III fame.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Writing prequels to someone else's work is a tricky thing to do, especially when that work is so internationally beloved. The script and story had better be good for this one otherwise this could be, shall we say, "badly received" by the fans...

Lava · A List Star

I really detest Star Trek so I won't be seeing this. Although its about time they updated this ala Battlestar galatica

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Huh? Star Trek is updated with every new spin off series. That's how it has survived for so long.

Garf2k4 · On The Casting Couch

Whilst I do find the idea of the young Spock and Kirk quite appealling, I hardly think that making a prequel is going to do anything to bolster the Trek's flagging fortunes. Consider that Enterprise ( the Star Trek uber-prequel ) was the only Trek series ( apart from the original ) that was cancelled by the netork before running it's full course. Besides, that premise has already been used in at least one of the Trek novels, and knowing how anal some fans can be, the film would have to follow that story-line exactly or the anoraks will be chewing through the cinema seats in rage. Also, you just KNOW that the designers will want to jazz everything up and make everything look more high-tech than it should as they did with Enterprise. Just think how much more dated and tacky the original series looked after they did Enterprise.

If they really must make a new Trek movie, wouldn't it be better to go forwards rather than backwards into a prequel. I know that introducing a wholly new premise ( a new spaceship with a completely new crew ) at this stage in the game would be suicide unless it was for a new Trek series, so why not do further adventures of an established crew ( Next Gen? Voyager? ). I know some of the cast would decline to take part, but there are going to be enough of them that haven't worked since their respective series ended to make the whole thing work. Why not Enterprise with Riker in command ( with Johnathan Frakes direcing as well ), or something of that ilk? Having a number of movies with a bridging story arc as with Wrath of Khan, Search For Spock and the Voyage Home ) may work as well. One problem with the Next Gen was that, because they had so many quality double headers within the series itself, the movies just felt flat like an overly long episodes, and didn't feel like the " Special Events " that they should have. Having each film tell it's own story, but within a larger framework would possibly combat this....

Then again, maybe Rick Berman et al should stop flogging a dead horse, leave the Trek alone ( especially after the damage they wreaked on it with Enterprise ) and go off and get proper jobs instead.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

They announced yesterday the actress who is playing Uhura:

Zoe Saldana has signed on to star in the new Star Trek movie to be helmed by JJ Abrams.

Saldana will be playing Uhura, the communications officer on the USS Enterprise. In original TV series, Uhura - which means freedom in Swahili - rose to the rank of commander. The character was played by Nichelle Nichols in the series. Saldana is currently filming James Cameron's sci-fi tentpole "Avatar."

Abrams is also producing "Star Trek" through his Paramount-based Bad Robot shingle. The movie will revolve around the crew's early days at Starfleet Academy, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci wrote the screenplay and will exec produce alongside Bryan Burk and Damon Lindelof.

The film is set for a Christmas Day 2008 release.

Never heard of her.

You can't totally dismiss prequels as they can work and help flesh out the characters (see Star Wars saga, Infernal Affairs II). The main problem with something like this is buiding on someone else's work as I said before. Unless Gene Rodenberry himself was at the helm - which of course is impossible - the story is in danger of not having the same continuity if coming from people guessing what Rodenberry had in mind for the characters and adding their own ideas to it.

But we should wait and see what they do with it before totally condeming it out of hand.

-- Edited by Man In Black at 08:25, 2007-09-20

Garf2k4 · On The Casting Couch

I don't think continuity is really going to be an issue with the people making this movie. If Rick Berman ( et al ) had even the slightest concept of what the word " continuity " means, then Enterprise would never had been made, or at least not been called Enterprise. Let's put it this way... if a former ship called Enterprise, and her captain and crew were so instrumental in the foundation of the Federation then surely there would have been some mention of them somewhere in one of the other Trek series, or at least Jean Luc Picard would have had a model of the ship along with the others in his ready-room. But, no! Nix! Narda! A big fat nothing! Which leads me to believe that, until the people at Paramount had run out of ideas for credible Star Trek story lines with the winding up of Voyager and had to look for some other way of milking the Star Trek cash-cow, they didn't exist!!! And it has to be said the other spin-off series could hardly had more than a nodding aquaintance with the continuity of the original series itself, and if anything, seem to have distanced themselves away from it as far as they could at times.

I still don't think a prequel is the best choice for the next Trek franchise movie, or at least not one that features younger versions of the original characters. Where's the dramatic tension going to be??? We know that, no matter what's thrown at them, none of the main characters is going to be in any great danger of being killed off as they all made it through into the original series.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Rumours are abound that Tom Cruise will make an appearance in teh movie as Captain Pike.

In the mean time here's the teaser posters:

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Tom Cruise can **** right off!!

Lava · A List Star

Surely though it would only be a cameo and not a major role? I take it your not a fan of the cruiser then Mr in Black?

Man In Black · Anime Mod

What ever gave you that idea?

Garf2k4 · On The Casting Couch

Eeek... Tom Cruise?!? That's too scary for words. I s'pose it's par the course for this monstrosity though!

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

The other version of the poster...

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Should have posted this a few days back. Anyway here it is. Simon Pegg has joined the cast...

Paramount Pictures is beaming up Simon Pegg to play Scotty in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek."

Pegg joins Eric Bana, Anton Yelchin, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Leonard Nimoy in the latest bigscreen incarnation of the classic TV series.

Penned by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the story chronicles the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members during their time at Starfleet Academy. Chris Pine has been offered the role of Kirk.

Paramount has set a November start date for the film, which will bow on Christmas Day 2008.

Abrams and Stratton Leopold are producing, while Kurtzman and Orci will exec produce alongside Bryan Burk and Damon Lindelof.

Pegg, whose recent credits include "Hot Fuzz," will star in the upcoming satire "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People."

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Kirk Casting Announced:

Little-known actor Chris Pine has been chosen to play the young Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek movie.
Pine had to turn down a role opposite George Clooney in the film White Jazz in order to play Kirk because of a clash of filming schedules.

Lord of the Rings actor Karl Urban will play Leonard "Bones" McCoy, the Starship Enterprise's medical officer.

The film, which chronicles the early days of the Enterprise crew, will be released in the US on 25 December 2008.

The movie will show the crew meeting at the Starfleet Academy and embarking on their first mission.

NEW STAR TREK FILM CAST
Captain Kirk - Chris Pine
Older Mr Spock - Leonard Nimoy
Young Mr Spock - Zachary Quinto
Scotty - Simon Pegg
Nero - Eric Bana
Uhura - Zoe Saldana
Chekov - Anton Yelchin
Sulu - John Cho
Leonard 'Bones' McCoy - Karl Urban

The Paramount Pictures film is expected to begin shooting in November.

Urban's character Bones was responsible for several of Star Trek's famous phrases including: "He's dead, Jim."

New Zealand-born Urban played Eomer in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also starred in The Bourne Supremacy.

The film, directed by Lost creator JJ Abrams, is Star Trek's 11th big screen outing.

The most recent Trek film, Star Trek: Nemesis, was released in 2003.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

The new Uhura:

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Latest Casting news... Winona Ryder as....... Spock's Mum?!?!

Wow. Just when you think JJ Abrams cant pull any more Star Trek casting surprises Simon Pegg! The bloke from Heroes! Eric Bana! Leonard Nimoy back as Spock?!? he goes and casts Winona Ryder.

Remember her? Beautiful, talented elfin actress whose career was going great guns until that infamous shoplifting incident at a Saks Fifth Avenue store in 2001. Despite her subsequent acquittal, and the odd attempt to rehabilitate her movie star stock with the likes of Mr. Deeds, Ryder has since chosen to stay out of the limelight, appearing in films like A Scanner Darkly or The Darwin Awards, or Gregor Jordan's forthcoming The Informers. Or perhaps she just hasnt been offered the big movies.

But thats all changed with her role in Star Trek. Shell play the young Vulcan mother of Zachary Quintos Spock in the movie, which takes place during the Starfleet Academy days of Kirk, Spock, Bones and the rest of the Enterprise crew.

Now, not to get too Trek-geeky, but Trek canon (and please correct us if were wrong) states very plainly that Spocks mother is Amanda Grayson, a human being from our very own planet Earth. So, were very intrigued to see how Abrams and his writers, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, are going to explain away the presence of a Vulcan mother step-mum, perhaps? Foster parent? Does Spock not know at this point who his real mother is? Or are they pulling something a bit more grandiose and revisionist?

Either way, Christmas Day 2008 cant come soon enough. And not just because we want some great presents thats when Abrams Star Trek will open, and all our questions will be answered. If they haven't already been answered by internet spoiler sites, that is.

Oh, and welcome back, Winona weve missed you.
Tom Ambrose

From Empireonline.com

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

The first view of the Enterprise from the trailer that has been showing on the preview screenings of Cloverfield in the US:

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Until you tube pull it, here is the teaser in all its mobile phone recorded glory...

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Well here you go, a proper version of the trailer.

HERE

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

JJ Abrams is off again...

Check out this site: http://www.ncc-1701.com/

Click the numbers to adjust the feed to 100%. You may decide it's not worth it. But I reckon there's more to come.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Bad news people. Star Trek is now been pushed back until May 09! From Variety.

Paramount is pushing back the release of J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" from Dec. 25 to May 8, 2009, saying the pic's gross potential is greater as a summer tentpole.

Move was part of a major reshuffling to the studio's release calendar, as well as to DreamWorks' release sked. A second key change: DreamWorks' 2008 Ben Stiller summer comedy "Tropic Thunder" is moving from July 11 to Aug. 15.

That's likely to mean that another film will take "Tropic's" old spot on July 11, particularly since there is such a dearth of broad comedies in the May-July stretch.

Like Par, many of the majors are likely to revisit their release skeds in the wake of the writers' strike as they try to balance out their 2008 and 2009 calendars.

"Star Trek" has no competition in its new slot -- at least not so far, although it opens one week after 20th Century Fox bows "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and one week before Sony is slated to bow sequel "Angels and Demons."

Paramount also dated two titles. Martin Scorsese's Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer "Shutter Island" will be released Oct. 2, 2009.

An untitled comedy produced by Marlon and Shawn Wayans will be released on Feb. 9, 2009. Their brother Damon Wayans is directing from a script the three co-wrote with two other family members. Par is keeping the logline under wraps.

Here are the other release changes to Par's sked:

* Eddie Murphy family pic "Nowhereland" is moving from Sept. 26, 2008, to June 12, 2009.

* Renee Zellweger horror-thriller "Case 39" is moving from Aug. 22, 2008, to April 10, 2009.

* David Fincher's Brad Pitt starrer "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is moving from Nov. 26, 2008, to Dec. 19, 2008.

In addition to the new date for "Tropic Thunder," DreamWorks and Par announced that Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet "Revolutionary Road" will be distributed by Par Vantage, and not the studio proper.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Some intresting potential production photos 'sneaked' out from the set. Knowing JJ Abram this is probably a deliberate plant. ANyway it seems the working title to this new movie is 'Corporate Headquaters' and these images (Taken from AICN) seem to be of Starfleet Academy....

You can view larger versions of these at AICN if you so desire...

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Some Trek Posters recently released...

Those four combined also are seperateposters as well...

The Official site has been launched here to:

http://www.startrekmovie.com/

Then there's the new McCoy poster

Scotty (Looks nothing like Simon Pegg, looks more like John Saxon)

Finally Sulu

Mollison · 500 Club Member

"Scotty (Looks nothing like Simon Pegg, looks more like John Saxon)"

Looks more like Liev Schreiber...

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Definetly John Saxon...

Mollison · 500 Club Member

I just so hope they get this film right! I'm not a huge trekie but always enjoy them, this could be amazing (for a remake).

Man In Black · Anime Mod

There is a reason why Star Trek has been able to survive for the past 40 years: by expanding the franchise and not trying to remake it.

This film will attract a lot of attention no doubt but with the original being so iconic and definitive, it cannot escape close scrutiny and the inevitable comparisons. I fear that will be something of an uphill struggle that they may never overcome.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Some plot talk brought to us via CinemaBlend:

The cast of Star Trek has been out and about, dropping vague hints about the plot of their movie. All of them, unfortunately, support those rumors about alternate timelines which were circulating around last year.

First up Simon Pegg, who plays the younger version of Scotty in the film. He spoke to Starlog Magazine on the subject of whether or not this thing is a prequel, a reboot, a remake or what. He insists this isnt exactly either of those things, saying:

'I often see Star Trek being referred to as a remake, and it really isnt. Its another Star Trek film; its another movie in the series. Its the continuing mission.'

That sounds pretty good right? Notice though that he never actually called it a sequel either. Thats where Zachary Quinto comes in. Quinto plays a young version of Spock in the new Star Trek, and in another interview (which you can watch in the embed below) he says the following of the film:

'This story happens sort of irrespective of where the Spock weve come to know ends up.'

Sounds a lot like alternate dimension bullshit to excuse rewriting history to me. The Enterprise seems to be headed for Biff Tannens Hell Valley. Maybe JJ Abrams has watched too much Back to the Future II.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Filmstalker:

William Shatner hasn't kept quiet on his exclusion from J.J. Abrams new Star Trek film. Now J.J. Abrams has cleared up the situation, and explained why it didn't work out. Turns out there was a scene written, but it was never filmed.

Looks like the events of the previous films, and Shatner's reluctance to make a cameo appearance are to blame.

Ever since J.J. Abrams started work on Star Trek, the question of whether William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy would appear has been there. Leonard Nimoy was confirmed as appearing in the new film, but Shatner's role was no where to be seen.

Recently the feeling has been that Shatner does have a role in Abrams film, but it is being kept quiet. A recent quote from Abrams though would suggest that Shatner will not be in it at all. Speaking while publicizing his new TV series, Abrams explained why Shatner is unlikely to be in Star Trek. The quote comes from AMC through Rope of Silicon.

'It was very tricky. We actually had written a scene with him in it that was a flashback kind of thing, but the truth is, it didn't quite feel right. The bigger thing was that he was very vocal that he didn't want to do a cameo. We tried desperately to put him in the movie, but he was making it very clear that he wanted the movie to focus on him significantly, which, frankly, he deserves. The truth is, the story that we were telling required a certain adherence to the Trek canon and consistency of storytelling. It's funny -- a lot of the people who were proclaiming that he must be in this movie were the same people saying it must adhere to canon. Well, his character died on screen. Maybe a smarter group of filmmakers could have figured out how to resolve that.'

I haven't seen many of the Star Trek films, but it sounds to me like Abrams is just adhering to the Star Trek history that has gone before. Which kind of precludes Shatner from having a large role in the new film. And if I was a massive Star Trek fan, I think I'd rather a good film was made with a decent plot. And that large story changes weren't made to accommodate past characters, especially those characters who have died.

What about you Star Trek fans, are you glad Abrams is putting the storytelling before Star Trek legends like Shatner? Or would you rather Shatner was accommodated somehow?