Star Trek Screenwriters Discuss the Success of the Reboot and the Sequel
Posted 06.19.09 by Ryan
Star Trek is still in theaters, but screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have already agreed to write the sequel. Both writers agree, the success of the Star Trek reboot came as a surprise, as Kurtzman told SciFiWire:
Well, you know, it was sort of stunning for us, actually, because ... we did not know how people were going to react to the movie in general. In aiming to make a movie that both reached a broad base and satisfied the fans, ... A, we weren't sure we were going to be able to accomplish both, and, B, we just didn't know if people were going to show up.
The strong performance at the box office for Star Trek, a much-needed hit for Paramount, allows both writers to feel a little less pressure when writing the sequel, although they still want to appeal to the fanbase. Said Orci :
I think the major lesson we learned is that fans were willing to accept differences and surprises, provided that they were somehow echoes or inspired by canon. We still have to be true to Star Trek the next time around, but we've also been blessed with being able to be unpredictable. And that doesn't mean we can just be shocking for no good reason and just throw everything away.... It still has to echo everything that Star Trek has been. We could still cross some lines [if] we think, "Oh, we can do anything now." And a savvy fan will go, "Well, technically, [you can't]."
As for the sequel, Orci and Kurtzman are not sure whether to write something based on one of the movies or TV shows or to write a story that is completely original:
Well, that is the debate, literally. And that is going to be one of the first conversations that we have. But we're still just having a mental sorbet before we jump back in. And, you know, just seeing all the reactions to the movie. We want to make sure we take it all in and really figure out what worked and what didn't and proceed from there. But now that we have an open canvas ... anything can happen.
In the meantime, both writers can worry about the success of their other script, a small little movie called Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which opens June 24.