Winona Ryder Joins Star Trek

"Star Trek" is beaming up Winona Ryder.Paramount Pictures and director JJ Abrams have set Ryder to play the Vulcan mother of a young Spock (Zachary Quinto).

Scripted by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the film revolves around the Starfleet Academy days of the crew of the Starship Enterprise. Chris Pine has been set to play Capt. Kirk, Simon Pegg will play Scotty, Karl Urban is Dr. McCoy and Eric Bana will play the villain, Nero.

Ryder recently wrapped "The Informers," a Gregor Jordan-directed adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel, and the Geoffrey Haley-directed "The Last Word."

She is in pre-production on the Rebecca Miller-directed "Private Lives of Pippa Lee."

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Shatner's Kirk Not Aboard for New 'Trek'

The original Capt. Kirk is disheartened he won't get to boldly go anywhere with his old pal Spock in the new "Star Trek" movie. While Leonard Nimoy is reprising his role as the pointy-eared Vulcan in next year's science-fiction flick, William Shatner is not on board as Kirk.

"I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me," Shatner, 76, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."

Director J.J. Abrams announced last summer that Nimoy would reprise the role he originated opposite Shatner in the 1960s television show and played again in six big-screen adventures.

Abrams said Shatner probably would have a part in the film, which is due in theaters in December 2008. But while Shatner said he had a couple of meetings with Abrams, nothing came of it.

Abrams' "Trek" film, whose plot is being kept under wraps by distributor Paramount, recounts an early adventure for the crew of the starship Enterprise, with Chris Pines as the young Kirk and Zachary Quinto as the young Spock.

The cast includes Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, Simon Pegg as engineer Scott, John Cho as helmsman Sulu, Zoe Saldana as communications officer Uhura and Anton Yelchin as navigator Chekov, roles respectively originated by DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig.

Past "Trek" films presented an obstacle to the revival of Shatner's Kirk, who died at the end of 1994's "Star Trek: Generations."

But in science fiction, you can never truly say die. Spock was killed off in 1982's "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" then resurrected in 1984's "Star Trek: The Search for Spock," with Nimoy's Vulcan living on to co-star in three more films, two episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and now Abrams' new movie.

"I've got a lot to do," said Shatner, whose current work includes the TV show "Boston Legal," narration for the Christmas spoof "Stalking Santa" due on DVD on Nov. 6, and the prequel "Star Trek: Academy Collision Course," a novel chronicling Kirk and Spock's first meeting.

Shatner says of "Star Trek": "Having been in on the creation of it, I was hoping to be in on the re-creation."

 

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Pine Joins `Trek' Cast As Young Kirk

The bridge of the starship Enterprise is filling up.

Chris Pine, who had been in talks to join the cast of J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" flick, will play the young James Kirk, while Karl Urban will take on the role of Dr. Leonard McCoy, distributor Paramount confirmed Thursday.

They join previously announced cast members Zachary Quinto as Vulcan scientist Spock, Simon Pegg as engineer Scotty, John Cho as helmsman Sulu, Zoe Saldana as communications officer Uhura and Anton Yelchin as navigator Chekov.

Leonard Nimoy, who played Enterprise science officer Spock in the 1960s TV series and six "Star Trek" feature films, also will appear as an older version of the Vulcan.

Eric Bana, the star of Steven Spielberg's "Munich" and Ang Lee's "Hulk," is playing a villain in the "Trek" film, which begins shooting in November and is due out in December 2008.

Abrams, creator of "Lost" and director of "Mission: Impossible III," is keeping the plot secret for the film that follows the early days of the "Star Trek" crew, which was led by William Shatner as the bold Capt. Kirk.

Pine's credits include the movies "Smokin' Aces" and "Just My Luck," while Urban appeared in two of the "The Lord of the Rings" movies and "The Bourne Supremacy."

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Eric Bana Set as Star Trek Villain!

Hulk beam up! Eric Bana is the first confirmed baddie in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek XI...but that's not all. We've got one reported up-and-comer in talks to fill the role of Captain James T. Kirk!

Star Trek XI casting rumors have flown fast and furious of late, but these announcements come trade-approved. According to Variety, Bana will assume the role of Nero, a villain who will come up against already-confirmed crewmembers Spock (Zachary Quinto), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Uhura (Zoe Saldana). Not much else is known about the baddie, and since Abrams' powers of secrecy are proven (see: 1-18-08/Cloverfield), it's certain to stay that way for now. Hulk beam up! Eric Bana is the first confirmed baddie in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek XI...but that's not all. We've got one reported up-and-comer in talks to fill the role of Captain James T. Kirk!

Star Trek XI casting rumors have flown fast and furious of late, but these announcements come trade-approved. According to Variety, Bana will assume the role of Nero, a villain who will come up against already-confirmed crewmembers Spock (Zachary Quinto), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Uhura (Zoe Saldana). Not much else is known about the baddie, and since Abrams' powers of secrecy are proven (see: 1-18-08/Cloverfield), it's certain to stay that way for now.

Eric Bana in Hulk

Meanwhile, over at The Hollywood Reporter, it's been slipped that rising actor Chris Pine is "in discussions" to play the pivotal role of Captain Kirk. Pine, perhaps best known of late for starring opposite Lindsay Lohan in last year's rom-com Just My Luck, also turned in a surprisingly killer role as one of three sociopath hitman brothers in Joe Carnahan's Smokin' Aces.

Chris Pine in Blind Dating

But the Reporter points out that Pine may have to choose between playing Kirk in Star Trek and nabbing a key part in Carnahan's next film White Jazz, an adaptation of the James Ellroy novel. The notoriously long-gestating project has had many false starts over the years (at one point Nick Nolte was set to star as LAPD cop Dave Klein, a role to be filled now by George Clooney) and is has a shooting schedule that will overlap with that of Star Trek this winter. Pine would play Clooney's partner Junior Stemmons in the noir pic, but he'd better decide fast, as production on Star Trek is slated to begin this November.

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com