Star Trek Screenwriter Admits That William Shatner Cameo Is Still Possible
Star Trek co-writer Roberto Orci is now saying that William Shatner might appear in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek prequel/reboot after all.
“Still, it could happen,” Orci admitted after explaining to SciFi that the problem is two fold: “One, from our point of view, we are still hoping to find a way. Secondly, one of the difficulties that was brought up and discussed with Shatner when we all met him and pitched him ideas is that Trek fans are sticklers for their canon. [And,] unfortunately, Shatner’s Captain Kirk was killed in Star Trek VII [1994’s Generations].”
But Shatner will never be written into the script if the writers strike continues.
“From my point of view, it’s a very long shoot, and things change. It’s just whether we can figure it out.”
Call my cynical, but I continue to believe that a Shatner cameo has already written. Orci, Kurtzman, Abrams and Shatner have agreed to deny deny deny to keep the surprise, and many of Paramount brass have also been kept out of the loop. Could I be totally off base? Well, yeah…
Casting Call: Star Trek Looking for Extras
As most of the principal roles in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek prequel/reboot have already been announced, Bad Robot has begun a search for extras. A feature film posing under the title “Corporate Headquarters” is seeking the following SAG and Non-Union Background Talent:
Thin, regal talent who have BROWN or BLACK hair AND are OK with their eyebrows being shaved from the arch outward to portray a “Vulcan type” eyebrow shape. If this is something you’d be interested in, please be sure to email with a current photo & contact info specifically stating so.
In General:
Thin, Athletic, Men And Women Ages 18-90 - Specific Descriptions Of These Types Below:
Especially seeking talent with interesting and unique facial features, such as: long necks, small heads, extremely large heads, wide-set eyes, bug eyes, close-set eyes, large forehead, short upper lip, pronounced cheekbones, over or under sized ears and/or nose, facial deformities, ultra plain looking people, ultra perfect looking people, pure wholesome looks, twins, triplets, emaciated talent in addition to regally poised and postured talent.Please note: This is a highly stylized feature film and the majority of the clothing will be form fitting so thin to athletic body types are what we are primarily seeking. They are picking talent now and scheduling wardrobe fittings as soon as next week. Principal photography begins in November and will shoot for several months.
For more information on how to submit your headshots, go to HeadquartersCasting.com.
Rumor: Josh Lucas Cast as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek?
A couple days ago we ran a rumor that Kirk is NOT the Captain of the Enterprise in the new JJ Abrams Star Trek prequel/reboot (or at least for the first half of the film). We have yet to get a 100% confirmation on this rumor, but most people in the know believe this to be true. But Paramount has yet to announce the casting of Christopher Pike in last week’s casting announcements. IESB believes that a pre-injury Captain Pike may be played Josh Lucas.
Lucas played Craig McDermott in American Psycho, and has been more recently seen in A Beautiful Mind, Poseidon, Glory Road, and Stealth. Keep in mind, that also has not been confirmed. Paramount and Lucas’ reps are apparently not returning phone calls, so take that for whatever might be worth.
Pike, played first by Jeffrey Hunter, was a Captain in the original Star Trek pilot, which was rejected. The character appeared in a later episode titled “The Menagerie” (played then by Sean Kenney). Pike is the first Captain of the Enterprise recognized in Star Trek canon (to go into the non-canon background would be boring). The character was severely injured while rescuing several cadets from a baffle plate rupture onboard a J-class training vessel, and appeared in “The Menagerie” confined to a wheelchair. The delta ray radiation made him mute and badly scarred, so the wheelchair is operated by brainwaves. Pike communicated through a light on the chair: one flash meaning “yes” and two flashes indicating “no”.
New Star Trek and Cloverfield 1-18-08 Movie Posters
I’m sitting in Hall H for the Paramount panel, so this is a quick update. Paramount has given us the new posters for the JJ Abrams produced monster flick code-named Cloverfield and his upcoming Star Trek prequel. It looks liked “Monsterous” has been removed from the poster. I wonder if Paramount had secound thoughts about the potential title? Check out the images above. Click on them to enlarge.