Star Trek XI (J.J. Abrams)

[criterionmaster]

There was already a thread for Star Trek series, but I decided I would make a thread for this film.

Abrams takes helm of 'Star Trek'
By Tatiana Siegel
Feb 24, 2007

The Starship Enterprise finally has a new captain.

After months of speculation, J.J. Abrams has signed on to direct the next installment of the "Star Trek" feature franchise, sources said late Friday. "Star Trek XI" revolves around a young James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, chronicling their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and their first space mission.

Abrams, the prolific co-creator/executive producer of "Lost" and director of "Mission: Impossible -- 3" has been developing the project through his Paramount-based Bad Robot shingle as a producer and writer. But Abrams never committed to directing the project until Friday evening, when the deal was finalized, sources say. Abrams reps at WMA declined comment on the matter.

[criterionmaster]

Kurtzman and Orci on Star Trek
Source: MTV
March 8, 2007

MTV talked to Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who wrote and are executive producing the new "Star Trek" movie at Paramount.

The duo tells the channel that the film's title will just be Star Trek and that it will include more action than any previous "Trek" movies.

They also said the film is not in any way a prequel but a reimagining of the franchise. "We're not going to start totally from scratch," Orci said. "We want it to feel like it's updated and of the now. That's actually the discussions we're having now: how to keep the look of the universe yet have it not look like nothing's new. It's tricky."

[captainofbeef]

Hmm, new Trek movie. Are we getting Shatner or not?

[criterionmaster]

J.J. Abrams Talks about Star Trek XI Directorial Decision
from trekweb.com



Star Trek XI producer/director J.J. Abrams spoke March 2 at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California.

About the upcoming Star Trek XI, Abrams said at Cinequest : "If I talk about this movie, everyone else who is involved with it knows where I live and will use that and, er, kill me. I can say that when the script came in it was so well written, it was so emotional, it was fun, and big and I found myself unable to not direct it! I couldn't give it up. I think it's going to be great. If in my gut I felt there was nothing else to offer, I wouldn't do it. It's not a business decision, I would rather take no money and do something inspiring. I hope it ends up being both a really cool, original, emotional ride and comes from something that we're familiar with."

"The truth is, there is no sure thing, and I would argue that when you are doing something that you do really care about, and are passionate about, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor, it will succeed."

Full Artilce HERE

[criterionmaster]

from hollywood saloon:

TV Notebook
Quinto is Spock
From Rob Owen's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 'Tuned In Journal' Blog - July 23, 2007



E! Online is reporting what has been rumored since a Post-Gazette interview last year with Pittsburgh native Zachary Quinto He's been cast as Spock in the new "Star Trek" movie.

Quinto plays the villain Sylar on NBC's "Heroes," and last week NBC Universal Television Studios president Katherine Pope told me that if Quinto got the "Star Trek" job, the studio would find a way to work out schedules so he can do both. It would be a benefit to both "Heroes" and "Star Trek," so that makes sense. Quinto's been listed as the rumored actor for the Spock part on his IMDB page for some time.

Quinto's casting also makes sense in a "six degrees of separation" way. Quinto stars in "Heroes" with Greg Grunberg, who starred on "Alias," which was created by J.J. Abrams, who is producing and directing the new "Star Trek" film.

This afternoon I left a message for Quinto, but haven't heard back. I'll be on the set of "Heroes" tomorrow and he's expected to be there. E! is reporting that Quinto's contract is "with the business affairs team at Paramount, which is generally considered the last stop on the deal-negotiation train. The deal only awaits sign-off from outside counsel."

www.post-gazette.com/pg/07204/803854-352.stm

end of article.

[criterionmaster]

Images from Comic-Con '07... courtesy of Ain't It Cool News...
source: hollywood saloon







From Rotten Tomatoes:

Hey, It's a Star Trek Cameo Rumor!

Cruise-ing boldly where no man has gone before?

by Jeff Giles | August 07, 2007

The casting rumors about J.J. Abrams' Star Trek XI have been whirling for months, and lately, we've seen them begin to be proven true (Zachary Quinto as Spock) and false (Matt Damon as Kirk). So what's a rumor mill to do? Generate more rumors, of course.

IGN Movies is reporting that Abrams is after an A-list actor for the high-profile cameo role of Captain Pike, the officer who preceded Kirk on the bridge of the starship Enterprise. As hardcore fans of the show could no doubt tell us all in exhaustive detail, Pike served with Spock for about ten years, and in the show's original pilot (later aired as the two-part "The Menagerie"), Spock helped shepherd a wounded Pike to the forbidden planet Talos IV, and was court-martialed for his trouble.

Since Abrams has gone on record as saying the new Trek film's storyline will have a lot to do with Spock, Pike's appearance is significant. And who does Abrams supposedly want for the role? His friend and Mission: Impossible III star, Tom Cruise. As the IGN article notes, Star Trek is a Paramount production, which would seem to make Cruise's participation unlikely, but not, um, impossible:

Cruise's name first surfaced last fall as a possibility for a role in Trek,but Cruise spokesman Arnold Robinson advised TrekMovie.com at the time,"That story is not true." There was still bad blood between Cruise and Trekstudio Paramount at that time, but in recent months Sumner Redstone,the Viacom honcho who ousted Cruise, has softened his rhetoric, leaving the door open for reconciliation. A Cruise cameo in Trek, however, would be a favor to Abrams and not to Paramount.

Got all that? Good, because IGN hints at more Trek casting rumors around the corner, saying "And if you think this Cruise stuff is crazy then you don't even want to know which A-lister we were told Paramount is trying to land to play the villain!"