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J.J. Abrams to Produce & Direct Star Trek XI - Update: George Takei Reacts

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By TRexx / 00:59, 21 April 2006 / General Star Trek

Variety has reported that Mission: Impossible 3 helmer J.J. Abrams will produce and direct the eleventh Star Trek feature film, targeted for release sometime in 2008.

Abrams' executive-producer partners from TV series Lost, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, have been named to co-produce the as-yet untitled Trek flick. Burk also worked as a co-producer with Abrams on Alias.

M:I-3 writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are aboard to pen the ST:XI script with Abrams, for a story that "will center on the early days of seminal Trek characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission."

Daily Variety journo and Paramount specialist Dave McNary credits this new deal to the studio's bullishness on the upcoming (May 5th) M:I-3, and that it underscores the brand revitalization goals of executives Brad Grey and Gail Berman.

See McNary's original scoop in "Trekkies have a new leader" at Variety.com

The CBS Star Trek site affirms, "Although there isn't an official Paramount press release announcing the movie, it is a confirmed project under development. The former Star Trek producer [Rick Berman] is not involved in this project." Under Sherry Lansing's tenure, Berman had been trooped with producers Jordan Kerner and Kerry McCluggage (story). The script for that production -- The Beginning, penned by Erik Jendresen -- was recently announced as abandoned (story).

Harve Bennett had proposed Star Trek: The Academy Years for the sixth movie, and got the green light from Paramount. "When they said I could do the next Star Trek movie, they wanted an anniversary piece -- and wanted it done in nine months," recalled Bennett for a 1999 article at StarTrek.com. "I figured it would take three months for a script, considering that the fastest I'd ever done one was six weeks. Then I figured that it would take a minimum of six months for the opticals, so I passed."

Ralph Winter went on to produce Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, but Bennett's Academy idea would again come under serious consideration.

"Before Sherry Lansing left [Paramount Pictures] last year, we had a meeting, about two years ago, in which I proposed that now was the time to do Starfleet Academy. And she loved it," Bennett told Trek Nation just earlier this year. "We would have made it. But then she said the television department had asked her not to do it, because Enterprise was being produced and they thought that should be the prequel. Therefore, we did not do that. Could we make it now? If somebody wants to, I'm there."

According to Paramount spokeswoman Nancy Kirkpatrick (via Yahoo/AP), neither William Shatner nor Leonard Nimoy has yet been approached for Abrams' project. "We certainly are hoping to bring Star Trek back to its former glory."

Energize.

UPDATE:

GEORGE TAKEI STATEMENT ON VARIETY STORY:

This is a startling new development for the "Star Trek" franchise and I am very excited about the news.

When we filmed the pilot in 1965, we were praying it would sell -- to think that in 2006 Paramount would be revving up to make the 11th "Star Trek" feature film would have been beyond the most fantastical of thoughts back in 1965.

I wonder what Sulu would have been up to in those early days at Starfleet Academy?

We've lived much longer than we ever thought, and will continue to prosper in so many unimagined ways in the future.

 



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Nov 21Roberto Orci on the Status of the Star Trek XII Script and the Possibility of Producing a New Star Trek TV Series13
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RE: Please no more reboots or prequel | Report this post to moderator
By: Capricorn Two (Odo's file, contact) @ 15:51:42 on Apr 23, 2006

Quote:
Well, since they are not doing Harve Bennett script, I think they will not use Shatner and Nimoy in cameo roles - at least that how I see it. Paramount is not doing this for the TOS fans. They are doing this in an attempt to relauch Trek to the mass audience out there. And I think this is a mistake.

There are a couple of factors to consider.

First - would Shatner and Nimoy even consider such roles? They may have felt they said their good-byes long ago to these characters. I don't know what their official position is. BTW - isn't Nimoy 'retired' from acting?

Second - budget. What worth in terms of salary for these two men? They may ask (rightfully!) for a handsome price for their time. It's not that they're not worth it but show business is a business and products like STAR TREK have to be produced on a budget in order to make money.

And do we need Shatner and Nimoy as a hand-off? One of Patrick Stewarts complaints -- as I recall -- about GENERATIONS was the hand-off approach, as though TNG couldn't just segue directly to the movies. The result was a crappy death to James Kirk.

Lastly - the film industry today - the way studios generate revenue - comes primarily overseas - in terms of theater receipts. Reviewing the gross figures available of all the ST films - STAR TREK performed well in the US rather overseas. The mass audience is higher overseas rather than US - a flip that has occurred these last ten years. And I am talking about the mass audience who goes to movie theaters.

A February 2006 HOLLYWOOD REPORTER article on Paramount's new managment talked about this issue - the need for their products - their movies - to play well overseas.

Personally - I'll probably see this fracker of XI when it comes out, maybe the theaters, maybe wait 4-6 months when it's on DVD. I won't care if Shatner and Nimoy are in it or not. They're just an actors, working people like the rest of us. They created good roles in their careers. Actually - Shanter is performing the best role of his career right now - that of Denny Crane, who is a far better character than James Kirk, and it will be likely his last big acting role.

2008 will be an interesting year. BSG will be in its fourth/fifth season. LOST maybe found, the STAR WARS TV series will be supposedly premiering, and we've got Abrams STXI.

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RE: Please no more reboots or prequel by GustavoLeao @ 16:53:47 on Apr 23
    RE: Please no more reboots or prequel by Capricorn Two @ 18:11:37 on Apr 23
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