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One of the more surprising casting choices in director J.J. Abrams's Star Trek reboot was that of hilarious British actor Simon Pegg as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, the Scottish engineer who was third in command of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the original TV series and movies (and one of the only red-shirted crew members who didn't die when they made extra-vehicular trips). While other cast members — most notably Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Karl Urban as Bones — infused respectful nods to the cadence of speech and mannerisms of the actors who played the roles before them, there was very little of original Scotty, James Doohan, in Pegg's performance, something that many die-hard Star Trek fans were vocally critical about after the movie opened.
In a recent interview with TrekMovie in support of his new book, Nerd Do Well, Pegg said he understands why some fans are critical of the new Star Trek, but that he hopes they "understand our intentions are utterly honorable." He also said that he never intended his Scotty to come off as comical in the first movie and that he hopes to get the chance to infuse more "depth and seriousness" into the role in Star Trek 2.
what did pegg say about scotty? >> Posted 06.24.11 by BrentJS -
Back in January of last year, Paramount Pictures set a June 29, 2012, release date for Star Trek 2 (working title), the sequel to their highly-profitable 2009 reboot of Star Trek. With no finalized script in place or confirmation that director J.J. Abrams would return, it was a bold announcement from the studio, and one that was bound to change.
Deadline reports that, now that Abrams' Super 8 is almost in theaters, the director will soon confirm his return for the sequel; however, Paramount will likely change the release date from June until sometime in December.
what's the script's progress? >> Posted 05.27.11 by Ryan -
In early April, Star Trek co-screenwriter Roberto Orci revealed that he and his fellow co-screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof were "in the middle of writing" the script for the Star Trek 2 (working title).
Star Trek director J.J. Abrams, who has been busy preparing this summer's Super 8, recently confirmed to Fox News that the script for Star Trek 2 was still in development.
We are working hard on that script and we're, you know, finger’s crossed, we are going to be able to make an announcement on that soon.
While the script has had a long road towards its completion (Orci originally revealed that the sequel script could be finished in "eight months" back in October of 2009), Orci told Trek Web what exactly is taking so long.
Romulans? Who said Romulans? >> Posted 05.24.11 by Ryan -
This weekend's WonderCon was a terrific warm-up for this summer's ComicCon,and provided plenty of information in this summer's upcoming "blood bath" of sequels, comic book movies, and tentpole productions.
Not opening this summer is the sequel Star Trek 2 (working title), but screenwriter Roberto Orci, in attendance to promote the upcoming Cowboys and Aliens, told Collider that, despite reports in mid-February that the script from Orci and co-screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof was going to be delivered in "six weeks or so," the screenwriter revealed that the script is still being written.
I’ve heard that they wanna shoot in the fall. We’ll be ready if they want to. We’re in the middle of writing it and hopefully we’ll be shooting in a few months.
MORE >> Posted 04.04.11 by Ryan -
After director J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot of Star Trek earned $385 million at the worldwide box office, the question wasn't whether a sequel would be made but when. The first step is for screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to deliver the Star Trek 2 (working title) script, which the writers previously admitted was due in December of 2009. In January, Paramount set the sequel's release date to June 29, 2012, which put a slight rush job on the script. In June, Orci and Kurtzman said they were "halfway through the story" and a week away from getting together with co-screenwriter Damon Lindelof and write the script. Almost six months later, and the writers told the LA Times that they finally "have broken the story" with Kurtzman saying the script for the sequel provided challenges that the original did not.
I think one of the weird challenges that we’re facing on this one is that in many ways, with the first movie, I don’t think people knew what to expect... Now, that first movie has come up and did well and everyone wants to know what happens next. We didn’t have that pressure, exactly, on the first one... We need to find our way back to the same kind of vibe that we had when we wrote the first one: What do we want to see here? What moved us about Trek? Where can we go from where we left off?
will old trek still inspire? >> Posted 12.02.10 by Ryan -
Last year, Leonard Nimoy announced that his version of Spock had "run its course", but said he would be "more than willing to enter a discussion about it" should director J.J. Abrams call him about returning for Star Trek 2.
In a recent interview with The Calgary Herald, however, Nimoy said he's planning to retire his Spock — or as he's referred to after the Star Trek reboot, Spock Prime — and doesn't foresee a return to the role.
I don't see it happening. I'm comfortable. I'm not glad, I'm not sad. I feel like I've had a great ride with the character ... we started making Star Trek pilots in 1964. I've been involved in Star Trek for 44, 45 years. It's been a wonderful ride for me and it's been great for my family. We got to do some very interesting work outside of Star Trek because of Star Trek and I'm very satisfied.
Nimoy has still been working with Abrams on his TV show Fringe as Dr. William Bell, a role that Nimoy believes will be his last.
I certainly hope so. I've been doing it long enough, so I hope so. I've had a great, great run and I have no unfulfilled dreams or aspirations.
Posted 03.25.10 by Ryan -
During the days leading up to the release of his latest movie, Universal's The Wolfman, now in theaters, director Joe Johnston spoke several times about the casting, plot, and characters of his next movie, Marvel Studios' The First Avenger: Captain America. In one interview with the L. A. Times, Johnston divulged that he needed to have the title role cast by March 1st and that he was "testing five or six guys" between the ages of 23 and 32 for the part.
Subsequent to Johnston's comments, articles and blogs speculating on the casting of Captain America (Cap) have proliferated online. One early rumor that spread like wildfire and quickly became misinterpreted was a blog on the entertainment site BigShinyRobot that claimed an anonymous studio source had confirmed that a number of television actors had been called in to read for the part.
According to MY studio guy, the rumors about Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill), Ryan McPartlin (Chuck), Jensen Ackles (Supernatural), and other unknowns/television actors reading for Cap are true.
Many blogs (and even a few news sites) took the admittedly unverified rumor to not only be true, but to represent the studio's "top three choices" for the role, prompting BigShinyRobot to add an update to the original blog to address the issue.
Now, another Cap casting rumor is causing a stir online. CinemaSpy posted the following excerpt of an email from a "tipster" claiming to be "well-connected" at Paramount that pins an actor already famous for playing a "Captain" on screen as Marvel Studios' top pick for Cap:
Anyway, just thought you guys might like to know that Paramount and Marvel are pretty close to closing a deal on casting Steve Rogers/Captain America and fans might be excited to learn that the short list includes somebody a lot of fans speculated about, Chris Pine. From what I'm hearing, he's the frontrunner right now, though that could change. Can't tell you who the other couple of choices are, cause that'll work against me for reasons I don't want to get into.
The first rumor may turn out to be true after all since McPartlin recently confirmed to Moviehole that he and "many other actors" were called in to read for the part. But, Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams' revamped Star Trek as Captain America? That seems highly unlikely for a couple of reasons.
First, logistically speaking, Pine would have a difficult time committing to the kind of multi-picture deal that Marvel Studios would require him to sign when he's already locked into a multi-picture deal with Paramount for more Star Trek movies and to headline a reboot of its Tom Clancy franchise as the new Jack Ryan. In addition to The First Avenger, the actor chosen to play Captain America may also have to be available to cameo in one or more of Marvel's other superhero movies in development and will certainly have a major role in The Avengers in 2012.
Secondly, in an interview with Collider, Johnston said that he was "looking for a complete unknown" for the lead role.
I hope it'll be somebody we discover and whose never been in ... well, he's probably been in something ... you won't know who he is or recognize him. We'll surround him with more prominent names. That's who we're looking for.
Johnston's comment doesn't preclude the aforementioned TV actors from being considered, but it certainly implies that Chris Pine would not qualify for the part considering the success of Star Trek. Stay tuned: With Johnston's March 1st deadline fast approaching, a casting announcement should be imminent.
Posted 02.14.10 by BrentJS -
In a recent interview with Wired magazine, Zachary Quinto gave Trek fans nightmares when he announced he was taking a two-year break from Star Trek.
I'm stepping away from Star Trek for at least two years — no movies, no conventions, no anything for a while. I want to invite [my fans] along with me on my journey, which is going to take them out of their comfort zone and into other areas and other styles of storytelling.
Quinto's "stepping away" has led to confusion and speculation amongst his fans, so Quinto tried to ease their worries over whether he would return as Spock in an announcement on his website.
i have been inundated with questions and confusion about a comment i made during an interview with wired — about the new atari Star Trek online game — in which i said i am stepping away from Trek for the next two years. obviously i will be a part of any upcoming films... reprising my role as spock. what i meant was that in the meantime i won't be making any public appearances related to the franchise - or doing any more auxiliary projects pertaining to the trek universe. i will be focusing my efforts on other projects and preparing to shoot the next film — which will be released in june of 2012... two years from now. hence the no Trek for two years remark. worry not trekkers. it was a misunderstanding of context. i am not spock. but i am spock. all at the same time.
As for Quinto's next project, Deadline Hollywood reports the actor is set to appear as composer George Gershwin in a biopic that could be the next directorial project for Steven Spielberg. Doug Wright (Quills) wrote the script, which is one of three projects Spielberg is considering. Quinto is already working with an accent coach for a possible April shooting start.
Posted 02.02.10 by Ryan -
The ReelzChannel 100 began when we asked Leonard Maltin for his favorite Hidden Gems of the decade. His list led the web team into a general discussion about the best movies of the decade and — after no small amount of debate, arguing, and (we're not proud to say) some petty name-calling — we decided we'd better bring it to an end with a company-wide vote. Then it was just a matter of tallying up the votes and hoping for the best. Lucky for us, ReelzChannel is filled with a staff ranging from movie lovers to movie fanatics. What turned out isn't what you'll find on a critic's best of list — instead it's what movie fans really enjoyed.
In day three of the ReelzChannel 100, we highlight the Top 10 Action/Adventure Movies of the Decade.
Posted 12.23.09 by reelz -
Zoe Saldana starred in two major hits this year — Star Trek and Avatar — both of which were sci-fi movies. There's a good reason for it. Saldana told People that she's drawn to "geek" material.
For me, it's been like preaching to my choir, because I was considered what you would think of as a geek. I loved stories that helped me escape, and those happened to be the stories that fall into the category of geekiness. So, therefore, I am a proud geek!
With her geekdom in check, Saldana admitted to Parade that she would be happy to have a career filled with sci-fi movies.
I wouldn't mind doing a few more. Look what it did for Sigourney Weaver's career. That's a really great path to follow and she's a really good role model to have. I do wish there were more genres in which women could be presented as what we are — complex creatures who can have journeys and be the heroes and save everything, and also be vulnerable and be saved. I wouldn't mind being in that category at all.
Up next for Saldana is the comic book adaptation The Losers and a sequel to Star Trek, so it's a good thing she's so happy working on nerdy material.
Posted 12.23.09 by Ryan