Star Trek XI - spoilers!

[Kirk-Fu]

"not only will Damon have to play the role of James T. Kirk, he will have to invoke Shatner playing Kirk"
Hate to disagree with Jen, but I really hope the actors in the next movie dont actually copy any of the original actors. I really want to see Damon or whoever is playing Kirk, and the other new actors, actually put their own spin on the characters. The TOS characters all have personalities of their own, to varying degrees, and thats the take on them I want to see.
Jim Kirk is young, somewhat brash, action oriented ladies man. Strong leader. Thats what I want the actor to look at and run with. If Damon tries to ape Shatner, it becomes a parody, at least to me it does.

However, as Jen said, it's Trek...im there regardless.

[Jen]

"not only will Damon have to play the role of James T. Kirk, he will have to invoke Shatner playing Kirk"
Hate to disagree with Jen, but I really hope the actors in the next movie dont actually copy any of the original actors. I really want to see Damon or whoever is playing Kirk, and the other new actors, actually put their own spin on the characters. The TOS characters all have personalities of their own, to varying degrees, and thats the take on them I want to see.
Jim Kirk is young, somewhat brash, action oriented ladies man. Strong leader. Thats what I want the actor to look at and run with. If Damon tries to ape Shatner, it becomes a parody, at least to me it does.

However, as Jen said, it's Trek...im there regardless.

But we know Kirk has a distict way of speaking. I think there will be a big stink if fans don't hear that same inflection coming from "the new guy". If McCoy is expected to have a Southern accent...Kirk will need to speak...using...short...choppy... sentences.  ;D

[Kirk-Fu]

Well, I guess this is an example of what JJ Abrams is facing. Its quite possible half will love it, half will hate it.

[Jen]

Well, I guess this is an example of what JJ Abrams is facing. Its quite possible half will love it, half will hate it.

True. I don't envy him. Guess that's why they pay him the big bucks!   ;D

[Dan M]

I think that 50/50 split is about right, but that's just 50% of the established fanbase.  If he can bring in more viewers from outside that fanbase than recent Treks have, this'll be a success, regardless of the offended die-hards.

[Cpt.Serwin]

Does anyone else think they should be making a sequel instead of a prequel , I mean how should it be that you should replace all the classic actors that are not here and that they made famous like Bones, Scotty, I mean I think they should move forward and make a movie with like TNG and have it move with Rikers ship and then work in the other series DS9 & Voyager. and if it does well with Riker's ship in the lead then you maybe can spin off and make a new TV series or even another ship and new crew  that work with then TNG crew and they pas the torch and spin off a new show. I will watch the new movie but I think they should leave the classic alone.

[Rico]

I'm still kind of reserving judgment a bit.  I can understand the built in appeal and idea of doing a young Kirk/Spock tale.  Truthfully, if I was doing it I would be tempted to shoot Trek about 100 years past TNG and have some really weird new aliens, big advancements in technology and really expand the Trek universe.  If they ever do a new TV series I hope it's something new and different like that.

[Cpt.Serwin]

See that is where I agree with you. I think it should be in the future as well. I mean I am a big trek fan and I will watch the movie even if it is not that good I mean I still watch all the new star wars movies and they are not as good as the original ones and I still watch Star Trek V every once in awhile. I just wish they would give us a new trek show in the future with maybe a new enterprise or something like that.

[ryanlb]

Have you been reading Star Wars Legacy, Rico?
I think a movie/series further in the future would be pretty cool

[Rico]

Yes - I like Legacy a lot.  Only SW comic I'm currently picking up.

[Geekyfanboy]

Yeah I am holding off judgment until I see the movie but I agree with Rico that I think the best bet would be to go further into the future. With going into the past it gets kind of sticky having to deal with previous canon. If the writer is good and knows Trek they can make it work. But even then having someone else play Kirk or Spock or one of the originals is hard for me to see.. William Shatner will always be Kirk.. you can't replace him. Plus these new actors are really going to be acting like William Shatner doing Captain Kirk or Leonard Nemoy doing Spock. We all know how these characters act and react. Guess we just have to wait and see.

[Geekyfanboy]

Actor James McAvoy has denied the rumors that he will be taking part in Star Trek XI and that Abrams has not approached him about it. While walking down the red carpet at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony he told an Empire Online interviewer when asked to verify or deny the rumor, “No. There’s no truth in the Star Trek rumors,” McAvoy stated. “I am a Trekkie, but no â€" absolutely not. And if he was offered a part…any part, what then? “Hmmm, I’d have to see,” smiled the actor as he strolled into the Kodak Theater.

[Bryancd]

Here's the latest:

"Trek XI" Writers Talk, Drop Hints


The title of the eleventh film in the Star Trek franchise may simply be "Star Trek," and it's being considered more a reimagining than a prequel, the writers of the project revealed in an interview posted today on MTV.com. They also promised that the story will be a starship-based adventure with more action and a bigger budget than any previous "Trek" film.
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci â€" the two screenwriters who also serve as executive producers â€" told MTV that "Star Trek" by itself is their intended title. "I don't think we want to put any colons or anything on it," Orci said. This detail about the "Star Trek XI" project is still up in the air, though, where the studio is concerned, and likely to be subject to change until the last minute.

The article contends that Kurtzman and Orci described the film as "not in any way a prequel but a reimagining of the franchise," without quoting them directly saying that. The article does quote Orci as saying, "We're not going to start totally from scratch." But, "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."

The writers did promise that this movie will contain more action than any "Trek" film that has preceded it, and said it will have the biggest budget. Apparently Paramount gave them no stipulations and no limits. "They were just like, what would you do with 'Star Trek'?" Orci recalled. "We've been watching [Trek] all our lives. I've even read the books. It was all about, what have I always wanted to see in Trek?"

Orci also said, "The economic models of the other [films] were very much based on the fans out there and their purchasing power. With this one we're going for the broad audience to bring people into Trek for the first time."

Kurtzman added, "The challenge of the movie is to be 100 percent true to the fanbase but also to bring in a whole new group of people who've never seen Trek before."

But they were still mum on the details of the story, or which characters will appear in it, deflecting such questions from the interviewer with a persistent "Who can say?" But they did allow that it will be a starship-based adventure. "I don't know how you make Star Trek without a starship," Orci laughed. "You have to trek through the stars, so you need a ship for that. There, you got something out of us!"

Kurtzman said the same thing about the oft-maligned "technobabble" staple of Trek scripts. "I actually love the technobabble!" Kurtzman said. "I don't think you can do Trek without technobabble."

Without discussing why, Kurtzman and Orci revealed that they and producer J.J. Abrams did recently visit with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. "It was pretty much the most stressful thing ever, but it was wonderful," Kurtzman said. "They were amazing."

While apparently describing the film as a "reimagining," the writers do believe their script adheres to the original vision of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. "Trek, more than anything, has always been about the human interactions," Orci said. "It's all about the human soul."

"And the friendships," Kurtzman added. "And everyone being a family. Whatever the story was, we always knew what it had to feel like."

The pair expressed relief that Abrams decided to direct the movie after reading the very first draft. "When we finally turned in the script I started lining up other directors, and that really got [Abrams] going," Orci joked.

As for other crew members, the article cited Scott Chambliss as production designer and Daniel Mindel as director of photography, who worked with Kurtzman, Orci and Abrams on Alias and "Mission: Impossible III."

On recent rumors regarding casting of key roles, the writer/producers were very coy, only saying things like, "We never said Bones was in it." Kurtzman did admit, "I'm the hugest Matt Damon fan ever. If he became [Kirk], great."

In the full article, Kurtzman and Orci also talk a little about Star Trek: The Next Generation, and what "crazy" fans they are. Read it at this MTV.com link.

[Rico]

Hmmmm.......   If they want to imagine something new - why not just start fresh??  Must discuss this more on tomorrow's Skypecast with all of you.

[Bryancd]

I agree, this sounds a little problematic for old school Trek fans, although I can appreciate the pressure they must be under to create a film to draw in a broader audience. The fact that it is a starship based story also moves us out of the Academy and into possible Kirk and Spock first ship board mission. I think I was more willing to maybe believe they were at the academy together, now they are galavanting about the cosmos, a game for the young, Doctor!