The New Captain Kirk

[Ben]

"Captain, should we raise shields?!?"

"MAAAATT DAAAAMONNNN!"

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http://movies.ign.com/articles/767/767783p1.html

Star Trek XI Casting Scoop!
IGN has heard who may play the Big Three.
by Stax

February 26, 2007 - IGN Movies has learned from studio sources which actors may play the Big Three in Paramount's Star Trek XI. By the "Big Three," we mean, of course, Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

Confirming rumors that have been making the rounds for some months now, IGN has learned that Oscar winner Matt Damon is indeed in talks with Paramount about playing the role of Jim Kirk, previously immortalized onscreen by Emmy winner William Shatner.

Damon brings star power and an acting pedigree to the role that should convince audiences that this is a serious reboot of the beloved franchise.

For the part of Kirk's Vulcan first officer Mr. Spock, IGN has been told that none other than Oscar winner Adrien Brody (King Kong, The Pianist) is in talks with Paramount to play the role. If cast, Brody would succeed Leonard Nimoy in a role that forever marked Nimoy's career. But with a Best Actor award already under his belt and an eclectic mix of films on his resume, Brody wouldn't have as much to lose by taking on the iconic role as Nimoy had.

IGN has also been told that Oscar nominee Gary Sinise -- currently seen on the small screen in CSI: NY -- is in talks for the role of Dr. McCoy, the ornery and politically incorrect ship's physician aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. McCoy's prickly relationship with Spock was the basis of much of the humor and humanity of the original 1960s series. The late DeForrest Kelley played "Bones" on TV.

Golden Globe and Emmy winner Sinise is no stranger to films about space flight, having previously appeared in Apollo 13 and Mission to Mars.

Those are the three actors that our studio insider advised us were the closest to being cast, with Damon's talks said to be further along than the rest. We have also heard of an actor being eyed for the role of Enterprise helmsman Lt. Sulu: Daniel Dae Kim ("Jin Kwon" on Lost). Sulu was played on the classic TV series by George Takei, who can now be seen on Heroes. We should stress, however, that Kim's possible casting is at a far earlier stage than that of the aforementioned three.

Lost, of course, was created and is executive produced by J.J. Abrams, who has just signed on to direct and produce Star Trek XI.

Sources also advised IGN that Scottish thesp James McAvoy may indeed be in the mix to play chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the film.

Neither Damon's reps at Endeavor nor Brody and Sinise's respective reps at CAA had responded to our inquiries for comment at time of publish.

[El Tejon]

"Jim, I'm a CSI investigator, not a miracle worker."

[Sindawe]

[Shatner]NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!![/Shatner]

Sorry, but IMAO it is too soon after Enterpise having been ejected into space to rematerialize the franchise on the pad of public exposure.  This will surely result in a cascade failue of the containment fields, bring about a breach in the warp core of the public's interest in the setting and a willingness to part with their precious gold-pressed latinum.

Paramount Studios is little better than a bunch of greedy Ferengi in their mad lust for profit.

[CAnnoneer]

With the dubious exception for Sinise, there can hardly be a more ridiculous choice of cast. Bowsprit Weepy Eyes for Spock and Choir Boy for Kirk. Harharhar!

Brad Pitt would have made a better Kirk, especially if he holds the phaser L.A.-style, as he did in "7". Or maybe Val Kilmer.

[Manedwolf]

So having failed with a prequel and a stupidly dark movie that bombed at historic lows, the "let's do lunch, babe" airheads running the studio are going to try another prequel, this time with a "younger, hipper cast".

Why, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?

What I find most amusing is that George Takei, quite a few years ago, said that if they wanted to do a movie-era series based on the ship he was captain of in the...sixth....? movie, he'd do it.

They said no.

Also, some fan group out there, demonstrating the power of better CG coupled with actual creativity, did a short film of the old-show-era ship leaving its dock, but "filmed" in a Galactica-like unsteady-cam as if it was being filmed by a cameraman on another ship. It looked so, so much better than Paramount's overly-glossy, flat-angle yawn-worthy cheap CG that it was just depressing.

[CAnnoneer]

They missed their chance. Takei with USS Excelsior against Christopher Plumber as a prequel to ST VI would have been a good series. More intelligence and leadership, less "young lieutenant sexual harassment" and fisticuffs. They had a lot of ground they could cover, e.g. the development of the transwarp drive and potential Klingon and Romulan "entanglements". Alas, now both are too old, especially Plumber.

I really do not understand why America has some of the dumbest execs ever. Too much brown-nosing interferes with cranial circulation?

[Manedwolf]

They missed their chance. Takei with USS Excelsior against Christopher Plumber as a prequel to ST VI would have been a good series. More intelligence and leadership, less "young lieutenant sexual harassment" and fisticuffs. They had a lot of ground they could cover, e.g. the development of the transwarp drive and potential Klingon and Romulan "entanglements". Alas, now both are too old, especially Plumber.

I really do not understand why America has some of the dumbest execs ever. Too much brown-nosing interferes with cranial circulation?

Even more disappointing in retrospect, they had Christopher Plummer do a speech in the intro for one of the games, facing an assembled ampitheater, that was downright Shakespearean. View that next to the bland television shows that followed, and you wonder just what sort of blank-eyed too-much-coke-at-parties morons are running Paramount Studios.

And in further embarassment, some of the original show's best writers, like D.C. Fontana, have returned to write new episodes for...FAN productions true to the original ideas and with curiously better visual effects than the "real" stuff. The original writers won't get near the studio.

[K Frame]

"There might be something edible on this planet, maybe even Roddenberries..."

Captain Turonga Leela.

[Antibubba]

I really do not understand why America has some of the dumbest execs ever

Because America has A LOT of the dumbest television watchers ever?  You can't blame studio execs for not understanding that Trekdom is, as a whole, much brighter than those who regard The Simpsons as documentary.  When the new show tanks, they probably won't understand the reason.

[roo_ster]

The only one I see working is Gary Sinese.  I thought he was spectacular in Forrest Gump.  I have never seen him in CSI:Yet Another City.

[Brad Johnson]

I think they should have cast Billy Connelly as Scotty.  He's got the attitude, the brogue, and the moustache.  Bob Hoskins might have been a good one, too.

Gary Sinise as Dr. McCoy is definitely a solid choice.

As for Spock?  Hmm.. why not cast against type and go with Jim Carrey?  His serious stuff is really very good.

Matt Damon for Kirk?  Maybe.  Actually I could see Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the role.  Hey, at least they didn't get Ben Afflicted.

Sulu?  No contest - Gedde Watanabe.  Hardly anyone has seen him in a non-Asian role, but he is really a very good straight actor.

Lt. Uhura? Well, ultra-vixens that can actually act come immediately to mind - Beyonce', Vanessa Williams, Vivica Fox, and Halle Berry.

Chekov?  Hmmm.... Matt Damon, maybe?

Brad

[Typhoon]

you wonder just what sort of blank-eyed too-much-coke-at-parties morons are running Paramount Studios

Morons who need money.  Paramount Pictures is having significant financial difficulties right now.

I doubt that Paramount is worried about alienating the old fan base, as these people are not making any money for them (the only exceptions being The Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton and the fairly recent Christie's auction of the memorabilia - $500,000.00 for the model of the Enterprise D - sheesh! - but still small potatoes).

What Paramount seems to be banking on is using the cachet of the Star Trek name to rope in a whole new crop of ticket buyers.  Well, we will see...

And, yes, it will be a feature film and not a TV series.  Entertainment Weekly reported a release date of Christmas, 2008 and that Paramount did indeed announce that J.J. Abrams (Mission Impossible 3) will direct.  No report about the cast.

[CAnnoneer]

Even more disappointing in retrospect, they had Christopher Plummer do a speech in the intro for one of the games, facing an assembled ampitheater, that was downright Shakespearean.

Ditto; it was the intro to Klingon Academy (which, IIRC, the bugmeisters at 14 East managed to botch as usual).

Generally, IMO sci-fi has been a victim of its initial limited success. Its perceived adolescent/college-student demographic sets the tone and depth of its writing, which ironically precludes serious sci-fi from making it big. It is revealing that the majority of episodes in any aniversary re-run are always the serious ones, e.g. Balance of Terror or Chain of Command, yet they are disproportionally few in the overall lineup. Someone might have taken a hint there, rather than saturate the landscape with tribble-like episodes, Janeway whining about the Prime Directive, or who is screwing either Troi today.

[MillCreek]

Someone might have taken a hint there, rather than saturate the landscape with tribble-like episodes, Janeway whining about the Prime Directive, or who is screwing either Troi today.

Wow, kudos to CAnnoneer for one of the more cogent assessments of Trek I have read lately.  And I am a life long fan who remembers watching TOS when it was first on the air back in the 60's.

[Brad Johnson]

Now has it's own entry over at IMDB.  Actual info is a little on the sparse side, though.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/

Brad

[JonnyB]

I bought the Firefly series on DVD. Why the hell do I care about yet another Star Trek remake?

Oh, that's right; I don't.

They could do worse that Matt Damon, though. He was OK in the "Bourne" movies.

jb