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Ever since Disney handed the director's chair for the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII to director J.J. Abrams, Star Trek fans have voiced their displeasure. Even William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk, called Abrams a "pig" for indulging himself in both franchises, though Simon Pegg, who has played Scotty in 2009's Star Trek and its upcoming sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, spoke up for his director. "I've never come across someone who likes Star Trek but hates Star Wars," Pegg told Digital Spy earlier this month. "If you are that, then clearly that's a sign of some sort of illness, 'cause there's room for everybody."
We're not sure how U.K. YouTube movie critic Unusual Suspect2011 feels about Abrams directing Star Wars, but he has created a mash-up trailer of both franchises, taking footage from the Star Wars movies but using the music from a recent Star Trek Into Darkness trailer. While the trailer likely began as a joke, it's interesting to see the change of tone that occurs with the Star Wars footage, making the trailer probably the best preview of what Abrams will do with the Star Wars franchise (minus the lens flares, of course).
watch the trailer >> Posted 02.26.13 by Ryan -
"I am more excited than I can tell you." — J.J. Abrams
Can't get enough of Star Trek Into Darkness's trailer and Super Bowl spot? Neither can we, which is why we're glad Paramount Pictures has released a new featurette about the upcoming sequel, which reveals new footage from the movie along with interviews with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and director J.J. Abrams.
watch the video >> Posted 02.20.13 by Ryan -
Some Star Trek fans weren't too pleased with the news that director J.J. Abrams was hand-picked to helm Star Wars Episode VII, especially after Abrams successfully rebooted the Trek franchise with 2009's Star Trek and its upcoming sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. But no one seems to be angrier about the situation than the original Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner.
While being interviewed by Movie Fanatic about his part in the animated movie Escape From Planet Earth, which opens this week, Shatner called Abrams a "pig" for taking on both franchises, even though he considers Abrams "a buddy."
watch the video >> Posted 02.13.13 by Ryan -
"I've always liked working on stories that combine people who are relatable with something insane." — J.J. Abrams
The biggest movie news of the new year — of the new millenium, in some circles — is Disney’s recent announcement that popular television writer-producer and movie director J.J. Abrams has been hired to usher in the new era of Star Wars movies as the director of Star Wars: Episode VII. The news was almost universally celebrated, except within the die-hard fan community, where it ignited a firestorm of controversy among sci-fi devotees who love Abrams’ work, but believe that he is too close to a property that has long been Star Wars’ chief competitor to be handed the reins. If you’re not quite up to speed on Abrams and his work and want to be able to join in on what is sure to be a hot topic for the next couple of years, read on to learn how you can become conversant in J.J. Abrams in under eight hours.
why 'the force' is with Abrams >> Posted 01.28.13 by BrentJS -
"You think you're safe? You are not."
A lot has changed since the first "announcement" teaser trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness. For instance, we now know that Alice Eve's (She's Out of My League) mystery character is, in fact, Dr. Carol Marcus, a love interest of Captain Kirk (Chris Pine). The character first appeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which did little to quell the rumors that Benedict Cumberbatch's (BBC's Sherlock, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) villain character was indeed Khan. Then again, those rumors refuse to die even after Cumberbatch revealed that he is playing John Harrison, a "one-man terrorist, who does despicable things for a noble cause," whatever that means. Also, nine minutes of the movie were revealed during select IMAX screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey over the weekend.
So, with all that information, how much do we know now that a second trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness has been released? The answer is (still) not very much.
the wrath of the latest trailersSaturdays 10:00a ET / 7:00a PT
watch the trailer >> Posted 12.18.12 by Ryan -
"So, shall we begin?"
Back in October, J.J. Abrams revealed three frames worth of footage of his upcoming sequel Star Trek Into Darkness on Conan, proving that the director is a master at teasing his audience. Now an "announcement teaser trailer" has been released, offering only a minute of the trailer that will be released in its entirety next week. At least it's longer than three frames, right?
So what "darkness" will Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew be facing this time? Is Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC's Sherlock, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) playing Khan or not? While we're not sure whether those questions are answered, we're confident the teaser will be one of the most watched and re-watched videos online. Until next week, of course.
boldly revealing the latest trailersSaturdays 10:00a ET / 7:00a PT
watch the trailer >> Posted 12.06.12 by Ryan -
Which Director is Strongest With the Force?
Like many Star Wars fans, it took us a while to process the news that the creator and caretaker of the greatest sci-fi epic of all time, George Lucas, had sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney. And, as if that news wasn't momentous enough, Disney concurrently announced that plans were already underway for an all-new Star Wars movie, a sequel to the original trilogy that would likely be the first movie in a new trilogy.
Minds thoroughly blown, we started to think about the future of the franchise. Jar Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen's horrible acting had really hurt the prequel trilogy and Lucas' constant meddling with the original trilogy tested our faith in ol' grey beard even further. With Lucas out of the picture, could the franchise regain its former glory?
In the days following the announcement, it was revealed that Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) had been hired to write the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII, while rumors continue to swirl that Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) is in the running to direct. Do you think that Vaughn is the right man for the job or would you like to see J.J. Abrams (Star Trek), Jon Favreau (Cowboys & Aliens) or someone else direct? Who do you think has the vision to chart the course of the future of the Star Wars franchise?
Rate the Top 10 Best Directors To Helm Star Wars: Episode VII >>
Posted 11.13.12 by BrentJS -
What's in a name? When it comes to J.J. Abram's upcoming Star Trek sequel, apparently a lot. It was leaked today that the movie will be titled Star Trek into Darkness. The news doesn't look to have come from Paramount or Abrams so it's not official, but dependable sites like Deadline.com and The Wrap are reporting it as fact.
Other than the title, little else is known about the sequel, something Abrams has seen to. Reportedly when spy photos from the production made it to the web, Abrams was furious and beefed up on-set security. While the movie's plot remains under wraps, Zachery Quinto said the sequel will be "bigger, bolder."
It was bolder, I think, than the first one, and that was pretty big and bold from my stand point. I’m really excited to see what they do with it.
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After scrapping a sub-plot containing Klingons from his 2009 Star Trek franchise reboot, it appears as if director J.J. Abrams plans on having the honor-driven warrior race make their "new universe" debut in Star Trek 2 (working title). The notoriously secretive director appeared in a skit that aired during the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday and a helmeted figure with a distinctive head ridge was visible on the monitor behind him.
Is the image just a red herring designed to get us to stop speculating about the identity of Benedict Cumberbatch's character — the TrekMovie blog claims that "a number of sources" say Cumberbatch is playing Khan Noonien Singh, the superhuman warrior played by Ricardo Montalbán in the original TV series and in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but Simon "Scotty" Pegg says that's "a myth" — or did J.J. decide to "leak" the Klingon reveal before someone else beat him to it? Check out the images and decide for yourself.
see the "evidence" >> Posted 06.05.12 by BrentJS -
The first set photos from Paramount's highly anticipated sequel Star Trek 2 were leaked online, and, while fans had to pleased to see Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) battling with Benedict Cumberbatch's unknown (possibly villainous) character, there was at least one person who was not pleased: director J.J. Abrams.
"J.J. was very upset," Saldana told MTV at the Independent Spirit Awards over the weekend. "I have to say that. It's not going to stop people from intruding, but they are, and it's such a bummer because it only hurts them by stealing away the surprise, you know."
quinto talks photo leak >> Posted 02.27.12 by Ryan