Rumor Control: No Current Planning For Shatner In Star Trek Trek Sequel

Less than 2 days after it was announced that Paramount is moving forward on development of a sequel to the new Star Trek, and already the rumors are starting. And leave it to a British Tabloid to bring back granddaddy subject of all Star Trek rumors, William Shatner. As usual TrekMovie sifts through to find the truth.

 

The Shat back in 2011?
This latest rumor comes courtesy of the UK’s Daily Express, who are ‘reporting’ that "industry insiders say moves are afoot" to get Shatner into a sequel, and they quote one saying "there are hopes he’ll make an appearance:" Not exactly saying much, but this this subsequently got picked up by the notoriously unreliable entertainment news service WENN, which got it picked up by mainstream news outlets and other genre press, including another Star Trek site.

So TrekMovie checked with our always reliable sources, (who have helped us debunk many rumors in the past), and this one is just another to add to the mix. There are currently no ‘moves afoot’ related to the sequel and Shatner. In fact work really won’t really begin on the script for the sequel until after the first movie comes out. Of course it is theoretically possible that Shatner (or just about anyone) could end up being considered down the road, but there is nothing going on now on that front.

Discussion of Shatner being in this May’s Star Trek was a huge topic in the press for a couple years, starting at Comic Con in 2006 when JJ Abrams first mentioned they were looking for a way to include him on the movie. In the end Abrams says they felt it would be ‘forced’ and also felt that since Shatner’s character was dead, it was not workable. The debate on if he should be in, if he was offered a role and more ended up being played out in the media and elevated to to the level of a ‘feud’, at one point prompting JJ Abrams to say to an interview ‘when did my life become watching William Shatner talk about me on the Internet?’

Do we want cameos?
TrekMovie is currently conducting a poll on possible cameos for the sequel and the winning choice right now is ‘no cameos’ with 36%, with Shatner coming in second with 31%.

It is likely that there will be more rumors of casting Shatner and other Trek (and non Trek) celebrities over the next couple of years, so we should just get used it. Maybe early on the filmmakers can make a blanket statement on if they are even considering these kind of guest spots for the film. If not, they say so and save some trouble down the road.

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I bet some fans wish his was an April Fool’s joke. :P

Hmm, it would depend on how his character was involved in the storyline…

Yikes!

Sadly, Shatner decided long ago to become a punchline. If he did show up in the Star Trek sequel people would only laugh at him.

Here we go again!

I want a TNG movie…please.

Well, it’s disappointing that Shatner might not be in the sequel. However, it really is too early to talk about the sequel at all.

We first need to see that ST09 is such as success that it justifies (financially) a sequel.

Cart, horse, eggs, counting, and all that.

I think that I speak for everyone from the United Kindgdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland when I apologise for the Daily Mail, and remind everyone that it is there for comedy value/mocking only and provides no news, only sources of annouance and disappointment!

Sorry!

On another note, after the cameo of Nimoy in ST:TFB, I think it would smack of fanboy-ism if there was to be a cameo in the sequel too, would just be a bit cheap, in my opinion anyway!

Welcome to April Boys and Girls, the last full month we have to wait till the release of Star Trek…

Thanks be to Jesus too…

Anthony, it’s the Daily Express that made the report, but it’s easy to confuse it with the Daily Mail. The difference is the Mail would blame immigrants for Shatner being left out of new Trek, whereas the Express would speculate on whether he would be in it if Princess Diana was still alive.

Hmmmm, I see your headline reads, “No Current Planing For Shatner In Star Trek Trek Sequel”

Well, now that you’ve confirmed that the Shat won’t be performing carpentry in the next film, can you check if he might be ACTING in it? :>)

Oh brother.

I had a fairly decent idea for older Spock to flashback to the last time he saw Kirk alive, but that would only have been a cameo and Shatner said he wouldn’t do cameos.

According to our precious canon, he’s dead. Let him stay dead.

“Rumor Control: No Current Planing For Shatner In Star Trek Trek Sequel”

“Planing”? Isn’t that a construction/carpentry term?

I have generally read with interest and intrigue on this site, but I have to say, how the general majority of the ST09 naysayers who hate the time travel story and “quasi-reboot” elements of this movie can WANT SHAT TO RETURN is beyond me. Kirk died. It may not have been the best death on screen ever (no worse than Data at least) but it’s better than bringing him back in some backwards silly way that will make things even less consistent (like Shat’s “The Return” where the borg revived Kirk…ugh).

(I’m totally willing to chalk up minor continuity differences to the time travel and the aesthetic differences to the fact that NOBODY wants to pay $9 to see the 1960s enterprise model and sets flying about the screen…Matt Jeffries your design was truly awe-inspiring at the time and still makes me happy to see now, but some updating had to be done even if it looks a bit like the iBridge as some have dubbed it…anyway, if they didn’t update the look then so-long trek franchise)

Who cares about Kirk I’d rather have Picard back or Riker I’d luv to see the Titan oh and the EMH would be great too

8. ProperTrekkieUK –
“On another note, after the cameo of Nimoy in ST:TFB, I think it would smack of fanboy-ism if there was to be a cameo in the sequel too, would just be a bit cheap, in my opinion anyway!”

First, Nimoy isn’t doing a cameo in the film, it’s an actual role. A cameo would be analogous to Robert Picardo in ST:First Contact”. Second, please (everyone) stop calling it “ST:TFB”. It’s just dumb.

Shatner! Shatner! Shatner!

Bring back William Campbell as the Squire of Gothos too!

“No current planning”? But this early in the game, surely they can craft a storyline that brings back the most beloved captain of them all?

An Excuses me but the Poll is 63% in favour of cameos, personally I don’t agree with cameos for cameos sake the characters must be on equal footing with the rest of the cast IMO

This is an April Fool’s joke, right? If Shatner did have a substantial role in ST 12, more than likely there would probably be time travel / alternate universe elements yet again. Please, no more. It’s bad enough the upcoming movie is a retread down that road.

Why not have any former ST actor/actress appear in the next films. It’s just nice to see them again. After all, they started in this and this new cast should intertwine with the old in some way. If Lenord Nimoy can do, so could Patrick Stewert or Scott Bakula or Jeri Ryan or Jolene Blalock.

I would love the chance to see William Shatner as Kirk one more time

:o)

He didnt make it into ST : TFB, but I hope hes in ST : ???

“Maybe early on the filmmakers can make a blanket statement on if they are even considering these kind of guest spots for the film. If not, they say so and save some trouble down the road. ”

i would love to see Bill play Kirk one more time however, I totally agee with the above statement.. I still haven’t gotten over the way this same issue was handled for THIS film and the thoughts of another two years of this cr*p is almost more than I can take. Say it ONCE and be done. Yes he’s in…No he’s not. Just don’t go on and on with vague offers and conflicting stories
Bill Shatner and his fans deserve better than that.

#18:”But this early in the game, surely they can craft a storyline that brings back the most beloved captain of them all?”

Stewart’s actually pretty busy these days. ;-)

Did anybody notice that there will be a ten minute preview of trek on April 6 in Texas?

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=66143876699

Or is that an April Fool’s joke?

I don’t really even want Nimoy in this movie, forget about Shatner or other cast members. I like when new ventures stand up by themselves. Generations anyone? Bleck.

If they really want Shatner to appear as Kirk one last time then send him off to a “fat farm” to lose about 30 pounds, have him get one supreme nip/tuck facelift to look as young as possible, and then instruct him that his acting must be of the calibre displayed in ST:TWOK, with none of his silly fluff/bufoonish performing antics as witnessed in ST: IV-VII…..if they’re going to have him back, at least do it right!!!

Cameos in remakes have been done well enough in movies like Cape Fear, Lost in Space, and BattleStar Galactica. You’ve seen people just walk through scenes as a nod to the original and play against type. It’s very hard to see Shatner in Star Trek and NOT see Kirk unless he were heavily sedated, under several inches of latex and voiced over.

Max #4

Thats totally not true. why do you think people would laught at the Shat? thats a bizarre comment. there are a lot of people out there who wanted him in Trek 11 never mind 12.

Greg
UK

He won’t be in it as James T. Kirk for the same reason as ST:TFB…his character died in Generations. Like it or not, it was filmed, shown in theaters and Shatner cashed his big fat check. There’s simply no reasonable way an octogenarian William Shatner can appear in the next film….as James T. Kirk.

What in blazes is TFB?

ditto, what does TFB stand for?

The Future Begins

Last I knew the movie was called Star Trek. Why can’t we keep the name they gave to it?

lets call it what it it is ,,,,

ST : TFB

:o)

possible… Capt. April. ;p

When William Shatner is as dead as Kirk the rumors will end … we hope.

Oh my God. Can people please let the Shatner thing go already?!!

He’s not in it. He’s not going to be in it. He doesn’t NEED to be in it.

Sometimes I really wish they had just gone for a cold restart of the whole thing and not had ANY of the old cast in it (Nimoy included). ….Especially with all the changes they’ve made to the back-story of the characters, appearance of the Enterprise, the overly annoying trek time-line, etc. Would have been nice to see a true REBOOT.

But, anyway, back to my original point: Shatner isn’t in it. LET IT GO!

life’s too short,,,,,what the hell,,,,,,put him in the next movie.

Do you guys think if you use ST:TFB enough it will somehow stick?

The movie is called STAR TREK. Live with it! :)

To me, the most disturbing part of this article is the sentence:

“Discussion of Shatner being in this May’s Star Trek was a huge topic in the press for a couple years, starting at Comic Con in 2006 when JJ Abrams first mentioned they were looking for a way to include him on the movie.”

That seems like only yesterday when they trotted out Quinto and Nimoy. To all those who’ve been complaining about how much of an eternity it was gonna be when they moved opening weekend from Christmas ’til May ’09, “time flies when you’re reading TrekMovie.com!”

> Anthony, it’s the Daily Express that made the report, but it’s easy to confuse it with the Daily Mail. The difference is the Mail would blame immigrants for Shatner being left out of new Trek, whereas the Express would speculate on whether he would be in it if Princess Diana was still alive.

It would be funny if it wasn’t true.

#43

Brilliant! And so, so true….

But they could easily make the ENTIRE MOVIE about saving Kirk in the future if they wanted, ala “search for spock” — Young Pine Kirk stumbles upon the Guardian of Forever and sees when he dies so he and the crew can stop it, easily done, and a great addition to the legend of Kirk – cheating death even after he dies. Or something better, but honestly, if the entire movie is with the new crew mostly, and then Shatner pops out at the end on Veridian III, or something else entirely, I’m sure people would go crazy.

@ 43 – Yeaa exactly, what a sorry state of affairs British tabloids are in!

And this from IMDB,,,

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0730256/

Its going to be interesting to see how ST : TFB leads into the next Trek,, ST : ???

Old Spock meets young Spock in the first movie.

Having Old Kirk meet young Kirk in the second movies seems pretty unimaginative.

Awwwww.

I want Shatner to have some kind of cameo. Maybe as like an older relative of Pine’s Kirk. SOMETHING.

But, it may never happen. -siiiiiiiigh-

If they can work it into the storyline I’m all for it!

It’s almost mandatory!