Greenwood Talks Star Trek Sequel

Bruce Greenwood is a standout as Captain Pike in the new Star Trek film. In a new interview the actor talks about the Star Trek phenomenon, and most interestingly, talks about what he is expecting for the Star Trek sequel, even giving a time frame for when they intend to start shooting.  

 

Greenwood on sequels, fans and Vulcan
In the interview Greenwood makes it clear he expects there to be a sequel, and as he said in his TrekMovie interview, he expects to be in it:

I have to ask an obvious question. What do you know about plans for any sequels to the latest "Star Trek" movie?

They’re bouncing around story ideas right now. I think, from what I gather, the intention is start shooting next summer.

What would you like to see happen in any of the sequels?

I think these guys are clever enough to do at least two more and have the final one do a really hard dovetail into the beginning of [the storylines] for the original ["Star Trek"] series. My expectations are very high for them. The only thing I’d like to see, from a personal standpoint, is the mentor relationship between Kirk and Pike to continue.

Greenwood also talked about personal observations of Star Trek, along with his recent trip to Vulcan, Alberta, and how (if he were younger) he would want to play Kirk. Read the full interview at examiner.com.

 

CLIP: Pike implores Kirk to join Starfleet

Greenwood wants to expand on this mentoring role for Kirk in a Star Trek sequel

 

 

178 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Loved him in the movie. Its a much better movie with him in it.

wow this would be an amazing idea

loved greenwood as pike. he rocked. but i think anything more than a cameo akin to janeway’s breif viewscreen call with picard in nemisis will take away from the “captain” in captain kirk.

Greenwood as Pike was awesome. No disrepsect to J. Hunter, but Greenwood’s reading of Pike makes the character far more likable and interesting than the Pike we see in “The Cage”. I would hope that The Supreme Court keeps Pike around at least for a bit just to see what the charcter is capable of offering Kirk and Co.

I’d love to see the accident where he saved all the cadets, and how it made an impact on young Kirk. It could be very moving as well as part of an overall big action scene.

Loved loved LOVED his Christopher Pike!!

I never liked Pike from The Cage, so Greenwood got me to like Pike by not being a whiny, angsty d-bag (if you’ll pardon my vehement view).

Not sure how they would include him, as I assumed the Enterprise was warping off to “explore strange new worlds…” at the end of the movie, but I’d love to see more of Pike. And more Pike/Kirk would be great. :)

I want to see him do some beeping in the next one!!!

What a guy! “Punch it!”

This is great news! Greenwood’s Pike was an outstanding contribution to the movie, and I was hoping to see more of him in this new franchise.
Woo Hoo! Bring on nuTrek II.

I will definitely be disappointed if Bruce Greenwood isn’t back as Admiral Pike in the next movie.

Greenwood was a perfect Pike, I certainly share his hopes that he’ll continue! This marks the first time anyone has mentioned the idea that this trilogy – if we’ll get three of them – could be a sort of side-track that would then form back or “dovetail” back into the start of TOS. That’s a facinating statement/idea! Question is: is this what the writers an J.J. intended? Or just some musings from an actor-become-fan?

#12—I would speculate that it is probably the latter. Actors in supporting roles are likely not privy to that kind of discussion among the writers and producers.

LOVED his Pike. Half-dead and strapped to a table, he takes out two guys. “Pew Pew!” He is a total badass.

It’s unfortunate Robau had to die. In the dictionary, Pike is standing behind Robau in the picture under the definition of badass.

Loved Greenwood’s Pike. I certainly would like to see more of him in the next movie.

JMN

Starting filming next summer? But we can’t wait that long! :D

He was sporting the ever-awesome TMP “penguin greys”. It’s about time they dusted those off again. Don’t call it a comeback!

OK, i’ll admit it here for all to see…. I have a man crush on Greenwood’s Pike.

I like this idea. I envision one or two outcomes for the end of a trilogy. One idea is to lead into the beginning of T.O.S. or the other to correct the timeline. Yes, I know there is nothing to correct, because it’s an alternate reality, but it’d still be an interesting concept to work with. Anything is possible.

I’d like to see some resolution in the end though.

@ 15. lol. I feel the same way…

About 1 year to write a script, story, find a director, get the budget set, scout locations for filming, etc…. Then film starting May next year 2010. And i believe it takes about 5-6 months to film a movie. So that’ll leave them about another 5-6 months for editing, special effects, etc. That would leave a target release date for Summer 2011. !!!!! Can’t wait :D

#19 – well, we hope for just 5-6 months wait after filming has finished, not a year like it was this time! (It was a year, wasn’t it?)

Pike was a very pleasant surprise in this film.

I think Kirk visiting Pike in Starfleet HQ or the Academy would be really great.

#20- Dave you are correct. They finished shooting in April 2008, almost a year prior to the film’s release.

Here’s what I say about the Star Trek sequel… they should release it in Summer or September 2011. In case nobody knows anymore, 2011 would celebrate the 45th anniversary of Star Trek. And with the sequel coming out in the same year as the anniversary, the twelfth movie would give the year something to look forward. Bruce Greenwood should be in the sequel… I kind of got the fact in the movie he was the father Kirk never had. That relationship worked out great and should be expanded upon in the sequel. I would be more excited if Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman come up with a new alien threat to Kirk and company on their first voyage as the crew of the Starship Enterprise… the alien threat should not be from any novel or stuff like that, one that they totally invent and unique to Star Trek canon.

I’ve always loved Greenwood, he’s a terrific actor and he is no less in Star Trek!

Pike could easily be the admiral that Captain Kirk reports to.

Beep Beep

Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike was probably what I liked best about the new movie. I hope we get much more of him.

I totally share his hope about the mentor relationship between Pike and Kirk.

The Enterprise should definitely report to Admiral Pike.

i like Greenwood’s notion, idea, speculation whatever it is about the trilogy leading back into the original mission. For me, personally it would be fun to see the timeline re-adjust itself. Not all the way, but little hints and nods are fun for those of us who like to spot such things.

Greenwood is a terrific actor and I appreciate his ideas.

One thing, there is no way the current movies can lead directly into the original series. From what has happened in ST09, I believe the following episodes can’t happen in this new alternate universe: Balance of Terror, Court Martial, Conscience of the King, Amok Time, Journey to Babel, Obsession, The Menagerie, The Cage, Where No Man Has Gone Before, This Side of Paradise, A Private Little War, The Tholian Web, Operation: Annihilate!, Shore Leave, The Apple, A Piece of the Action, Turnabout Intruder.

God, what’s left?

#6: I agree. As much as I love Jeffrey Hunter in “The Searchers,” his Pike never got a chance to do much other than complain about the burdens of commanding the Enterprise and threaten violence against Talosians.

Greenwood’s Pike, on the other hand, is an embodiment of Federation leadership and what a Starfleet captain should aspire to. That will make him a useful storytelling device in the future. We’ve seen a lot of sub-par Admirals show up on the Enterprise viewscreen to dispense orders over the years, and too many of them haven’t earned our respect (see Harve Bennett in V!). Often the Federation has come off as a goofy organization staffed by pinheads like Captain Esteban.

Pike’s re-characterization, on the other hand, is in line with Orci & Kurtzman’s smart decision to set a high bar for Starfleet and what it means. We hear from him in the bar scene that it has slipped a little, but the new Pike represents a call to the highest ideals–which is a far cry from Vice Admiral Janeway showing up in “First Contact.”

I was all for Ray Liota, he looked like Jeff Hunter, but Bruce Greenwood was awesome in the part, and I hope they give him a significant part in the TREK 12 …his down to earth demeanor and fatherly influence over Kirk really comes across well…
maybe the Enterprise could visit Talos IV and revisit the Menagerie or something of the like!

I have loved Bruce Greenwood for years now, and his casting was the one that made me the most excited when I first read about it.

And sure enough, he was fantastic. In fact, I think the only better-cast character was Karl Urban as Bones; he was so spot-on perfect. (And, ironically, Urban’s was the casting that worried me the MOST, initially!)

#31

Janeway was in Nemesis, not First Contact. ;)

#30 – “God, what’s left?”

Completely new stuff. Exactly what the writers wanted to do, and I applaud them for it.

Greenwood as Pike was an unexpected surprise, and blew me away as the “father figure” Kirk never had. i would love for him to survive, and stay in this trilogy as an active character and mentor to Kirk.

And I disagree with any comparisons to Jeff Hunter. Hunter did a wonderful job as a troubled Captain wrestling with the burdens of command in a pilot for a new series. Greenwood had the same gravitas, but also believed in what he was doing.

I also thought that Greenwood’s performance was awesome and he should definitely be in the sequels.

He’s an idea – he becomes more of the father figure for kirk for the second movie but then becomes an enemy for the third ending him in a wheelchair at the end of the movie.?!?!

William Shatner or Khan in the next Trek,,,,

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1611523/story.jhtml

theres your answer,,,

:o)

@37

“Luke, I am your father.”

No.

I wonder what the good people of Vulcan, Alberta had to say about Abrams & Co. blowing up Vulcan in the movie…..

Perhaps William Shatner AS Khan.

That would maim a few childhoods.

#17. Horatio

could be worse you could have a man crush on Pike’s Greenwood…..

@38

Khan strands Kirk on Ceti-Alpha-5. Years later he travels back in time (as THE SHAT) to kick some ass.

Greenwood was definitely a scene-stealer. He brought a remarkable presence to the character of Pike, a strong, quiet demeanor.
The beauty of this new cast is their ability to make the most out of their moments on-screen. For example, Urban didn’t have a tremendous amount to do, but he shined brilliantly each time the camera was on him.
For me, the new film was really hanging on the new cast. Would I like them?
How could I ever accept someone else playing Kirk or Spock?
The new cast really won me over. Brilliant casting, IMO.

I think Pike will be sacrificed (like Vulcan) for dramatic effect in one of the forthcoming sequels. He is the perfect candidate for this. Important in Trek lore and to Starfleet, yet not “essential” (IMHO) to the progression of the story.

K/O might emphasize the “father he never had” aspect of their relationship then someone has to make a tough decision and Pike dies.

Predictable yet effective.

Could this be the first concensus of opinion since the movie has come out…?

Greenwood was superb in the movie. In his formative Starfleet years, Kirk needs someone to look up to and to make proud. Adds another (new) dimension to Kirk which can only be good.

This is the first strong indication that they won’t jump the shark and go straight to Khan in the second movie.

I’d really like to see them encounter Khan AFTER Khan is thawed out by another Captain and has a year to raise a genetically engineered army.

I really liked Bruce Greenwood as Pike as well. I do, however, feel that the take of the bar scene used for the trailers played better than the one used in the film. Greenwood sounded more dramatic in the trailer. He was laughing slightly in the film when he said, “I couldn’t believe it when the bartender told me who you are.” In the trailer he sounds seriously disappointed in Jim, almost angry at him since he had such potential. This, of course, says nothing negative about Greenwood. Instead, it points at the director and editor, I suppose. It wasn’t bad in the film, just better in the trailer, something I saw so many times that I had it committed to memory. I truly hope Greenwood/Pike has a major role in STXII.

Greenwood as Pike was Ace, hope to have him on board for a long time and hopefully not in a wheelchair permanentley

Heck I wouldn’t even mind a film/miniseries with him and his Star Trek advenutres

36. AJ – wrote:
“Greenwood as Pike was an unexpected surprise …
And I disagree with any comparisons to Jeff Hunter. Hunter did a wonderful job as a troubled Captain wrestling with the burdens of command in a pilot for a new series. Greenwood had the same gravitas, but also believed in what he was doing.”

I AGREE. I will also go further to say Greenwood was the only actor in the cast that really had the weight of those form the previous Trek casts. Trek has traditionally hired actors with a lot of Shakespearean training which added a depth and dimension to the characters that allowed them to believably convey the universe-sized stories of Trek. Laurence Olivier once called Shatner the greatest living Shakespearian actor in North America (presumably before Trek). Greenwood didn’t have that training, but he carried the weight of an experienced actor, which frankly showed-up everyone else in the cast.

Agreed about Hunter. Even Shatner has a completely different performance in the pilot than even Corbomite Manuever. Much more stoic than the later Kirk, but given the seriousness of the stories and the breadth of ideology involved, how could an actor take it any other way for the first time?