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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Star Trek 11 Prequel: Matt Damon as Young James T. Kirk in 2008

IMDB.com is reporting that Matt Damon has been cast to play a young James T. Kirk in the new Star Trek Movie directed by J.J. Abrams. Is this the end of the Star Trek series we fans know and love, or the beginning of something bigger and better for
the series?"

Word from the team is the story will involve the younger James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, following them from their first meeting at Star Fleet Academy and into their first space missions. Paramount was originally approached with this idea a while back by Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner.

Berman & Braga out...

It will mark the first time that a Trek project has not had Berman's creative input in more than 18 years. Berman produced and co-wrote the last four films and co-created the TV series Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; he also wrote, contributed story ideas to or produced all Trek incarnations since the original series. Berman's last film, Star Trek: Nemesis, tanked at the box office, and Berman's last series, Enterprise, was canceled by UPN after only four seasons because of poor ratings.

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It will be interesting to see how they portray Kirk as a cocky younger man, but I think we already saw a younger Spock in the portrayal of Tuvak in the Voyager series.

Thank Goodness Berman & Braga are not part of this next installment of the Trek story. They beat the life out of the saga, and I'm sure Roddenberry would be spinning if he knew.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Star Trek XI: What We Know

Rick Berman will not be working on this movie. The man who has essentially led Star Trek since the death of Gene Roddenberry is gone from the franchise, along with all of the people who worked with him.

Berman, and co-producer Brannon Braga, take a lot of the blame for debacles such as "Voyager," "Enterprise" and some of the more dubious movies - including the flop that was "Nemesis". A lot of people consider the pair to be the poison pen of Star Trek (although they did oversee some of Trek's best years in TNG and DS9, let us not forget.) After "Nemesis" flopped Berman did try to propose a script which he brought to light in 2005 - "Star Trek: The Beginning" - to the chagrin of many fans.

Derided as "Star Trek: 90210", the script was being written by Erik Jendresen of "Band of Brothers" fame, and was to center around Spock's and Kirk's Starfleet Academy days. This was an idea originally floated by Harve Bennett in '91 as the idea for Star Trek VI, and revived by Berman and Jendresen.

Another possible idea from Berman and Jendresen was a movie focusing on the Earth-Romulan war, at a time after Enterprise but before The Original Series. Apparently Paramount wasn't too hot on either idea - or, some suggest, Berman himself - and chose to make Berman persona non grata where Star Trek was concerned.
Even former Star Trek actors are saying that CBS has kicked Rick Berman off the Trek bandwagon.

This helps to allay the fears of those who say that "they" will screw up this movie as "they" have been doing for the past several years. As Anthony Pascale put it to me, however, "There is no 'they' any more. Everyone who has worked on Star Trek previously, from the top executives at the studio to the guy who sweeps the floor on-set, is gone. There's now a totally different production team running Star Trek. This is what people have been asking for now for years."

The new production team is led by "Lost" creator and "Mission: Impossible III" director Jeffrey Jacob Abrams, a self-professed Star Trek fanatic who, it is rumored, signed up to a five-year mission with Paramount specifically so that he could head up Star Trek XI.

Source: www.twitchguru.com/2006/10/05/star_trek_xi/

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Great to confirm that the Brannon/Braga team is no more. Trek needs a fresh facelift and new infusion of talent...and done right.

Looking ahead to this one...

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Shatner Leaks Trek XI Details

William Shatner revealed to SCI FI Wire that the upcoming 11th Star Trek movie will indeed, as rumored, deal with the early years of Capt. James T. Kirk and Spock—and that he will definitely appear in the movie if director J.J. Abrams can find a place to use him. Shatner, who originated the role of Kirk in the original Trek series and several subsequent films, said in an interview that he was invited to meet with Abrams (Mission: Impossible III), who is also co-writing the movie.

"I met with J.J., and they told me they would like me to be part of their film, but they have to write the role," Shatner said in an interview.

As for the many rumors concerning the sequel's story, Shatner said that Abrams will explore Kirk and Spock during their Starfleet Academy years. "Yes, we know the story is based on young Kirk," Shatner said. Up until now, everyone connected with the film has maintained strict silence about the storyline, though rumors have run rampant that they concern Kirk and Spock's first missions.

As for Shatner's place in that storyline? "They need to figure out how to put the dead captain in with the young captain," he said. "It's a very complex, technical problem of how to write the character in, and I'm not sure how they will solve it." It sounds as if Shatner may play an older version of Kirk.

Coincidentally, the Starfleet storyline is one Shatner is already working on for his latest Trek-based novels. "I'm writing with Gar and Judy Reeves-Stevens two books on the academy, with the young Kirk and the young Spock," Shatner revealed. "We've submitted the first book to the publishers, and I think it will be out in the beginning of 2008. It's got a working title of The Academy, but I don't think that will stick."

Meanwhile, Abrams told Entertainment Weekly that a draft of the Trek XI script is done and will be trimmed sometime soon. The sequel will be targeted, "on the one hand, for people who love Star Trek, the fix that they will get will be really satisfying," Abrams told the magazine. "For people who've never seen it or know it vaguely, I think they will enjoy it equally, because the movie does not require you to know anything about Star Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don't know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind."

Source: www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=39438

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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Paramount Officially Announces Trek XI For Christmas 2008

Paramount Pictures today officially announced the return of Star Trek on Christmas Day 2008.

"If there’s something I’m dying to see, it’s the brilliance and optimism of Roddenberry’s world brought back to the big screen," J.J. Abrams was quoted in a Paramount press release, which in its title again confirmed Abrams will be directing the new Trek film. Abrams continued: "[Alex Kurtzman] and Roberto Orci] wrote an amazing script that embraces and respects Trek canon, but charts its own course. Our goal is to make a picture for everyone — life-long fans and the uninitiated. Needless to say, I am honored and excited to be part of this next chapter of Star Trek."

Kurtzman and Orci, who previously worked on Abrams' Mission: Impossible III, were the only writers mentioned in the press release. They will also serve as executive producers along with Bryan Burk, while Abrams and Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof will produce the film. Shooting is currently scheduled to begin in the Fall.

"We could not be more thrilled to be back in business with J.J. Abrams," Paramount CEO and Chairman Brad Grey said. "The revival of the Star Trek franchise is an important part of Paramount’s turnaround."

Earlier today, casting rumors for the new film surfaced (story), but Paramount's press release contained no information on the film's cast.

Source: www.trektoday.com/news/270207_02.shtml

[BlueSlate]

Has anyone confirmed Matt damon is to play a young James T Kirk, it just seems funny that he will be 2 years older than William Shatner was, when he first started playing Kirk.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I havent' heard much about the news since it first was proposed, but according to the Star Trek people, it is still a strong possiblility.

Some tidbits:

* - In an interview with Time magazine, a statement made by original James T. Kirk actor William Shatner, who claims to have been approached by Abrams for a role in Star Trek, would seem to indicate that the film's story would involve an older Kirk interacting with his younger self, as outlined to him by Abrams. Shatner later stated, however, that he had "no idea what the script is [and] idea what they are doing."

* - Some sources have reported that, besides Kirk and Spock, the film may also feature appearances by such characters as Scotty, Doctor McCoy, George Samuel Kirk, Captain Garrovick, and Christopher Pike. In addition, it has also been rumored that the film will jump from one time period or another. In this event, the film may feature scenes set in Kirk's birth place of Iowa and may cover some of his days at the Academy, a part of his service as a young lieutenant aboard the USS Farragut during the 2250s, and maybe even his first mission in command of the Enterprise. In any case, as noted before, it is the writers' intention to remain faithful to what was established in past Star Trek stories.

If this next rumor is were true, it would be fantastic! -

The most recent rumors state that the aforementioned Matt Damon is, indeed, in talks to play Kirk, while Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody (The Pianist, King Kong) and Oscar-nominated actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, CSI: NY) are in talks to play the roles of Spock and Dr. McCoy, respectively. The source of these rumors – IGN Film Force – also states that James McAvoy is, indeed, being sought to play Scotty while Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise guest actor and current Lost star Daniel Dae Kim was named as a contender for the role of Sulu. According to various sources, however, these rumors are not true. Sinise himself denied the rumor that he was in talks for a role.

Source: memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Star_Trek_XI

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I think that Gary Sinese would be a great Dr. McCoy!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Simon Pegg to play Scotty in 'Trek'

Paramount Pictures is beaming up Simon Pegg to play Scotty in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek."

Pegg joins Eric Bana, Anton Yelchin, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Leonard Nimoy in the latest bigscreen incarnation of the classic TV series.

Penned by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the story chronicles the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members during their time at Starfleet Academy. Chris Pine has been offered the role of Kirk.

Paramount has set a November start date for the film, which will bow on Christmas Day 2008.

Abrams and Stratton Leopold are producing, while Kurtzman and Orci will exec produce alongside Bryan Burk and Damon Lindelof.

Pegg, whose recent credits include "Hot Fuzz," will star in the upcoming satire "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People."

Source: www.variety.com/VR1117973913.html