Simon Pegg Cast By E-mail

Simon Pegg is currently out and about promoting his new film, Run, Fat Boy, Run, and naturally, he ends up discussing Star Trek. In an interview with the Australian Herald-Sun Pegg reveals how director/producer J.J. Abrams offered him the role of Scotty and that he wasn’t sure he wanted it at first. He also talked about the ‘sc-fi’ nature of the new movie.


On how JJ Abrams offered him the part

We got on really well on Mission: Impossible 3 and then I got back from New York where I’d been shooting How To Lose Friends and Alienate People and I switched on my phone and there was an email that just said “Do you want to play Scotty” on the top which was the most shocking email I’d ever received.

Pegg explains that there was a slight bit of hesitation on his part which was quickly alleviated by Abrams.

I was slightly worried about tying myself into a franchise for nine years. It was obviously something to think about, but J.J. said, “If the worst thing that happens is we get to hang out every three years and have fun, what’s the problem?” I thought that was a great argument.

and on if Star Trek is ‘serious science fiction’, Pegg replied:

Very much so. It’s not at all ironic. It’s not a jokey take on the original series. It’s a faithful and loving instalment in the ongoing mythology of the show.

The article is in the Australian Herald-Sun (but is not available online, or at least not yet)

Run, Fat Boy Run starring Simon Pegg opened last week in Australia and opens in the USA March 28th. More info at the official site. And here is the trailer…

 

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Think he’s gonna surprise everyone!

“Very much so. It’s not at all ironic. It’s not a jokey take on the original series. It’s a faithful and loving instalment in the ongoing mythology of the show.”

I like that, it makes me feel good. So often these movie versions of old TV shows are tongue in cheek, as if “we’re smarter than when this show was first made.”

I think his performance will silence al the doubters

Very glad to hear this new take on the movie; “serious science fiction, not ironic, not jokey, loving”- that’s what I want to hear from our actors. Epic… doesn’t do much for me. But I can dig this outlook. :)

Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen any of his work and had no pre-conceived notions of Pegg and his acting, but I’ve been all for seeing how he does Scotty ever since he was announced. First of all he looks the part (er, IMHO), and I can really see him playing the role wonderfully, especially after reading these recent interviews and getting some insight from him on how he views the role and what he’s trying to do in it. I’ve got high hopes for this guy!

We do kind of have a rough timeline, for lack of a better term, it seems on *possible* future Trek releases it seems.

Very cool! Thanks Charles.

#4 –

Go out and rent/Netflix SHAUN OF THE DEAD right this very minute. Pegg proves that he can indeed pull off comedy and serious emotional drama… all in the same film! He’s really brilliant, hysterical and touching. AND it’s the greatest zombie spoof ever made! If you can handle the gore, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I keep getting a better and better feeling about Pegg in this role – though to be fair I’ve always rather liked him. I think he’s gonna rock our socks as Scotty.

The only messages I receive on my answering machines are “your account is deliquent, please call customer service” LOL! I am warming up to this guy as Scotty. I dont know yet about seeing him give orders as Acting Captain! although this movie wont delve into that aspect of his character yet.

He seems like he is really excited to be in the movie and seems to really respect and understand what Trek really is. I absolutely cannot wait to see him as Scotty! I am so excited!!!

Love the Pegg think they made a good choice

Even though it’s “serious science fiction”, I hope they still have some fun with it and keep some of the wonderful tongue-in-cheek quality TOS often had. Don’t forget that Kirk, Spock & Bones all had a penchant for banter.

If it were possible to be 200% confident in a bit of casting, I would be 200% confident in the casting of Simon Pegg. Alas, the cruel and boring numbers being what they are, I must be content with a mere 100% … I just hope that if Pegg reads this, he won’t take it as a slight.

“I was slightly worried about tying myself into a franchise for nine years”

I find that the most interesting.

#13 — that makes me kinda happy, ’cause it shows that they aren’t just planning on there being only one film and it also shows that all the main actors are signed on for three! Yay!!

Why only one new Trek film every THREE years? If they can spit out a new Harry Potter film every couple of years, motivated to get them all done before the young cast gets too old, why can’t Paramount move along in a similarly brisk fashion? They could get one done every TWO years if they really wanted to!

As a Scotsman myself I was deeply concerned that Pegg wouldn’t be able to pull off the rather difficult SCOTTISH BROGUE.
This clip put my fears to rest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PDdXJoBwBo

:)

Is this the first verification that Pegg and Abrams (at least) signed a 3 picture deal over 9 years for STAR TREK?

A most amusing comedy. However, the title is a bit lacking in imagination.

It’s not surprising that there is a 3 picture deal, but hearing in the context of 9 years really blows my mind.

#2, Yea I agree… Thankfully it will not be ‘A Very Brady Star Trek.’ Cuz Hollywood suits are (sometimes) just that dumb!

Every 3 years, for 9 years… That IS a bit of a while. Maybe TPTB think it’ll take 3 years per flick just to let the more easily ruffled Trekkies/ers’ calm down between them?

That picture of Pegg is funny.
That must be the look he had on his face when he was cast.

“It’s not at all ironic. It’s not a jokey take on the original series. It’s a faithful and loving instalment in the ongoing mythology of the show.”

I like that. If Peggster says so then I can hardly doubt it. Never doubted it anyway but hearing it from Simon still makes me feel a tad better :)
The bit about the email is interesting. I’m trying to picture his face. Whoa.

Dear JJ,
Can I play Scotty’s Missus? I’m part Scottish and I’m an engineer (software engineer but that’s close enough eh?) My accent is said to sound fairly Northern Irish (I’m not – so I have no idea why I sound like em) but I can still work on it. I’ll get it down for you JJ, no probs. I’ll get it right. You can find my email below.
Please make the subject: Sarah – would you like to play Scotty’s Missus?
so I don’t wind up deleting it as Spam

Looking forward to hear from you. Sincerely, Sarah
*gg* lol

P.S.: The Peggster Strip-One-More-Time campaign is still running. It’s not too late to add that shot to the movie. Simon’s got to do a few more special effects anyway.

9 years eh?? “get to hang out once every three years!” hmm 3×3 =9 so does that = 3 movies??? :-)

The whole “can the actor do a convincing accent” is getting both Tired and Foolish. Pegg is Good actor if he can’t pull of an absolutely perfect Scottish accent for Scotty so what I am not going to be analyzing his speech patterns during the movie to see if he’s doing a correct accent. That is not as important as some of us want to make it out to be. And what of Anton Yelchins are we going to do an accent analysis to determine if he’s doing the correct Russian Accent for Chekov? Silly all of it. and please no one bring up the whole character authenticity thing that will make it seem all the more foolish.

re: 25 Gavorkin
I agree that the accent analysis is foolish. They can do a spot-on accent and I still won’t be able to ignore the fact that they are imposters.

Although I’d have rathered an actual Scot finally playing this role, I’m feeling much better about this casting as I go along…probabably due to the fact that I now know that he’s losing the face-fuzz for the role…
I like my TOS crew members clean-cut…unless they’re in a ‘mirror’ universe.

i think he will prove himself and this will be the start of pegg doin some more serious rolls

I think a movie every 3 years is fine. It’s not really that long. I would far rather a good movie that the producers and writers had time to develop every 3 years, that a medeocre CGI-fest every two years.

… hopefully they will remember that he wore a gold shirt first…

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Montgomery_Scott

#26
Stanky, your spot-on accent comment is spot-on, as always.;-)

pegg as scotty is what sold me on the new movie

uh, guys. if pegg figures he’s got nine more years at trek, then we’ll be seeing as total of FOUR films. “every three years” starting after the end of the first one, that is. obviously a mistake, but i’m surprised no one here freaked or even caught it. trekheads are usually the type who make it a point to able to use math. anyway.

i have a young friend who “wants to puke” at he idea of a male “starbuck” because it just wouldn’t make sense. funny to think there will be a new league of fans who see the original cast as imposters someday.

Pegg rocks! SHAUN is one of my favorite films of all time, and HOT FUZZ is also awesome. Wonder if JJ can somehow work Nick Frost in one of the films somehow, perhaps as an alien that Scotty will have to drink under the table in order to save the ship or something :)

Does this mean Scotty will have a slacker friend living in his office who calls out to the crew, “Hullo, ya c*$@s!” ?

SImon Pegg is a great actor; he was wonderful in Shaun Of The Dead (best Zombie movie outside of the Romero series) and also did a nice cameo in a Doctor Who episode a couple of years back when Christopher Eccleston was the Doctor and not that bobbins Scottish actor, Neil Tennant……..

I think he will make a great Scotty!

#36 I saw him in that episode and I didn’t recorgnize at the time him under the make up he played a really nasty bad guy, he was great, so that’s among the reasons i think he can do a great Mr Scott.

#36 Yeah, what made Neil Tennant think he could leave the Pet Shop Boys and play the Doctor instead? ;)

I like Simon Pegg but I will still reserve my judgement until I see him in the movie as Scotty. He just hasn’t struck a chord with me the same way that the other casting decisions have and I can’t put my finger on why. I do like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and Fat Boy looks good, too.

I don’t hold the new cast in the same contempt as Stanky.

#38, well, the Doctor did meet Rose on Regent Street, so maybe the Pet Shop Boys are still into “West End Girls” :)

The thing about The late, great Jimmy Doohan was that you can believe that the man CAN drink a bottle of malt scotch, fist-fight a room full of Kilngons, and be on duty in the engine room the next morning.

I don’t see that when I look at Simon Pegg. He looks like he’ll topple over with the first gust of wind.

<<If they can spit out a new Harry Potter film every couple of years, motivated to get them all done before the young cast gets too old, why can’t Paramount move along in a similarly brisk fashion?
<<

Ok, I’ll get flamed here, but every Harry Potter movie has been the same as the last. Harry gets abused in the Muggle world, escapes to school. A teacher is a spooky character, possibly evil. Ron is dopey. Hermione is tough, but has a vulnerable side. Cute monsters. Scary monsters. Snape is in league with Voldermort. Snape is NOT in league with Voldermort. Harry gets his arse handed to him in another fight with the ever-reincarnating Voldermort, sees his dead parents in some form… He goes home to the Muggles again.

I’d think by now Harry would always be pausing in anticipation of the next event to happen in his day, because it’s just like every other day.

And that’s what kills me about the HP movies– these kids are pretty good actors, and they’re being wasted.

So, THAT is why you can’t do Star Trek that way. We want new adventures, new things to think about. As Ringo Star said, “Time takes time”. I’m sure they could crank out a movie per year if they wanted to- and have it be the Trek quality that we’d all like. After all, it’s still a two hour script. Conceivably it could be shot in two weeks. The thing that dilates time is the 1000 shot special effects schedule, and modern viewers expect to be blown away.

I think in May 2009 we’re going to be blown away, big time.

*** deploying Universal Translator ***

*** Original statement:
arrrrr….
well, besides tha lass petitioning Simon Pegg to get all nudey and the concern over his accent, all I have ta say is:
Simon Pegg shifted through his spam with his lucky winged fairy
Scott-playing offer was waiting there for him upon the Blackberry
He assures there be real science fiction in store for us Treksters
Maybe a Loch Ness monster sequence to establish Scott’s pecksters
……arrrrr
… it be nice to see such an embrace there dowdy doo! Uggg…me hangover be preventing me from getting more a’curly brash and spewin’ forth as me noggin be a’ banging morethan guvnerSpitzer

*** Universal translator:
“Once again I am delighted to hear such positive things from and about Mr. Pegg. And thank you, Trekmovie.com patrons, for your indulgances in reading my posts.”

Awk! That’s whud I said, ya bongke nerk! …..arrrrr…..

*** Transmission Over ***

Honestly, I was never worried on the casting on Pegg for Scotty (or Urban for that matter). If anyone looks at some of his serious non-comedic work he is quite good. It’s some of the other members of the cast I am holding judgement on til I see some footage.

What’s a “bongke nerk”?

#45
sort of like a right prat… a wanker… a gooley doo…
ya know, a Sybok …

….arrrr

#46
I think ya need translating more me!
thanke for answerin babe

The whole comedy vs. dramatic acting thing is silly. I will take a talented comedy actor doing drama over a talented dramatic actor doing comedy just about every time. As the man said. “Dying is easy, comedy is hard”

Pegg is an amazing talent. He will be fine. I have far less worries about him than I do some of the other cast members. Mostly because they are unkn owns and there is a lack of knowledge of their talents. Urban and Quinto are with Pegg in my mind. No worries.

#39—“I don’t hold the new cast in the same contempt as Stanky”

LMAO. Who does? Oh, that’s right….Iowagirl and I Love My Moogie!!!

#41—“I don’t see that when I look at Simon Pegg. He looks like he’ll topple over with the first gust of wind.”

I don’t get that at all. James Doohan was rather thin as well during the run of TOS. I’ve never seen Pegg in anything other than MI3, but I’m sure that JJ’s confidence in his ability to make Scotty come to life in this film is justified.
As with everything else about the film, only time will tell.

#42—Having never seen one of those movies, I’ll take your word for it. I can certainly live with a new Star Trek film every 3 years. That is great news.

#46—“sort of like a right prat… a wanker… a gooley doo…
ya know, a Sybok …”

LOL…Sybok sucks.

A “gooley doo”?

Sorry BND, I’m playing dumb now. Yew Brit folk shore tawks funny.