The Star Trek movie is now in its fifth weekend, but it still makes news. We have some new comments from Winona Ryder on what she would like to do in Trek next. Plus the latest box office has Trek topping a new chart. We also have some new interviews cover some of the technology behind making Star Trek and another baseball team going to the final frontier.
Ryder wants more Trek
Last week Winona Ryder was comparing her role of Amanda in the new Star Trek movie to that of Marlon Brando’s Jor El in Superman. Ryder seems to have really taken to her time on Star Trek, so much so that in a new interview with the Japan Times, Ryder talks up how the film works for women and says she is ready to go back:
This may be the most female-friendly movie in the series. Although,” she semiwhispers, “we’re not supposed to call it a series, and this is the beginning of the story and the personalities. But anyway, my character is part of that. The studio (Paramount) wants to make ‘Star Trek’ more interesting to women, and if they come up with a good female villain in a future movie, I’m willing and I’m able.
In other future role for Ryder news, the actress also recently revealed she will be reprising her role in a sequel to the 80s cult classic Heathers, Christian Slater (who had a cameo in Star Trek VI) is also expected to come back playing a kind of ‘Obi-Wan character’. Maybe JJ can bring them both back for the Star Trek sequel?
Trek vets Ryder and Slater headed back for ‘Heathers 2’…could she be in ‘Star Trek 2’ as well?
Box Office Update: Trek tops another chart
As noted in yesterday’s analysis, it was going to be a close race this weekend for 5th place. The Friday estimates are in and last week’s Drag Me To Hell was fifth with $2.57M, with Terminator 4 at $2.53M and Star Trek right behind it at $2.52M. Although Star Trek came in a close 7th, it had the lowest drop of all the films from last Friday (down only 32%), and Deadline Hollywood is predicting it will still end up in 5th for the weekend with a total of $8.5M (above previous predictions).
Star Trek also worked its way on to a couple of new all time domestic (before inflation) charts at Box Office Mojo. Star Trek is now highest grossing TV adaptation of all time. Also by passing Mission Impossible II, Star Trek has now worked its way on to the top 10 Paramount films of all time. After Trek and Transformers 2 finish their runs, it is likely Star Trek will settle to 8th place on that chart by the end of the summer.
As for 2009, Star Trek continues to be the top grossing movie of the year with $216.9M in domestic sales. There isn’t data for Friday’s international sales, but Star Trek’s global gross is probably around $324-325M.
New Star Trek technical interviews
In the weeks since Star Trek was released we have seen a few articles focusing on different aspects of the making of the film, usually with trade publications. This week there are a couple more which are probably mostly of interest to those in the biz, but fans may enjoy the insights.
- Studio Daily talks to assistant editor Julian Smirke about many of the technical details behind editing Star Trek.
- TheFlashBlog has a video interview talking to the designers at OOOii about their use of Flash technology in making the animations for the displays in Star Trek
Find out how those graphics were made
More baseball Trek
In April Esurance and the San Francisco Giants held a Star Trek night to promote the new movie and more recently we reported that a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher was cashing in on Trek with his ‘Vulcan Pitch’. Now that the movie is a hit, the minor league Binghamton Mets want in on the action. Last night they held a ‘Star Trek Night‘ and the team all wore special Star Trek jerseys, which were auctioned off for charity. Unfortunately, they lost the game.
Mets catcher Josh Thole in the Star Trek jersey
Finally, fanmade Kelvin TV Series intro
The USS Kelvin continues to inspire fans. Here is a new video from ‘TheDragonWhelp’ on YouTube with a vision of what the intro for "Star Trek Kelvin" might look like.
Thanks to tipsters Greg, Clinton, Ulrich, and Robert
Oh, first! Yeees, finally :-) The Kelvin intro is beautiful, especially the warp nacelle.
please no new TV show for a while…lets have a good 2 or more extra movies first – like Treks I-IV – untainted by any tv show
Soory that the ball team lost. Must have been the Klingons who beat them. love to see Ryder in the next trek Movie. Trek keeps on making the Money and beating all the expectations. Oh Yeah!!! Baby!!!! Oh. IM NOT First!!!1. Yeah!!!!!
I really want a new Trek TV series eventually.
NIce intro. I love the ship warping out TNG style, and then catching up to her at warp JJ-style. Inspiring job!
Maybe a mini-series based on the Kelvin some time before the attack?
Winona as a Trek villain? Woweeee!! This could seriously convince me to watch a sequel movie. Bring it on!
I personally would love to see Trek return to TV in some form. But there is something to be said for leaving the ground untainted for more movies. Tough call.
And I’d love to see Wynona Ryder return in the next movie. I thought she did really well as Spock’s mother. I’m not sure about her playing someone different since she made such an impact with that role. But Spock’s mom returning would be cool.
And that Kelvin intro is very cool. Loved the movie score accompaniment. Very nicely made. I’m still thinking that must be a HUGE saucer section for Jim Kirk’s father to have saved 800 people during his 12 minutes as Captain. I’m anxiously awaiting schematics, info, set pics, etc. to be released from the movie. I’d love to hear the “science” behind it all.
I guess it would be a mini series, right?!
8: I don’t think her previous role as Spock’s mom would be a problem. You could hardly recognize her with that old lady make-up. She can take on any role in another Trek movie.
That’s some good home made CG on the Kelvin, but seeing it in motion reminds me how much the whole star drive section being on top and nacelle below annoy me, I think the ship would have looked a ton better if they had switched that around.
Wait — how can Spock’s mom possibly come back as a villainess? Heavy make-up?
Or is she saying that she’s going to reprise her role if the next Trek movie has any strong female villain at all and not necessarily with her taking the role?
:puzzled:
For the millionth time it’s NOT Star Trek 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The sequel will be Star Trek XII!!!!!!!!!!!!! Star Trek XI was a sequel not a prequel!!!!!!!!!!!
How about if we compromise and call it Star Trek Version 2.1?
(This current movie is Star Trek Version 2.0; the next one would be 2.1; the one after that is 2.2, etc.)
:-D
12:
Mark Lenard was a Romulan, a Vulcan, and a Klingon. Winona could come back, too.
Agreed, 15, but that was TV. This is the movies. :-)
I would watch a Kelvin show.
It would be the first non-uss enterprise show I gave a s#@t about.
No offense to the 9rs or VOY folks..or NX Enterprise.
16: This is the movies: David Warner playing two different roles. And two different actresses playing Saavik.
17- Since it seems that USS Titan will never become a reality, I’d certainly welcome the Kelvin show, that would be awesome.
18, okay, so you win. I concede. David Warner did play two roles in the movies. Good point.
As Jeff Bond said in his review Christian Slater has already been in this Trek movie in a way, as Pine seemed to be channeling Slater for his portrayal of Kirk.
18- Yeah your right about those roles, but to be honest the Saavik thing really did bother me though. It felt like continuity was broken.
Hemsworth is gonna be a big movie star after THOR. No TV for him, I suspect.
And like it or not, Star Trek ‘2’ is here to stay.
We can’t forget that Tim Russ played someone else as well in the movies.
Hemsworth might still cameo in flashbacks in the next Trek movie, though. That would be mutually beneficial for Trek and him.
Heathers 2?
Well, frack me gently with a chainsaw. I can’t wait.
Ryder as a “Green Goddess” CrimeLord,of one of the
“Orion Crime Syndicates”(a DS9 upgrade of the old Orion Pirates thing).
She plays all sides against one another,for fun & profit.She has secret alliances with criminal elements in all societies(Federation/Klingon/Romulan/Breen/etc…)
How’s that for a recurring character,Ms. Ryder???
I’m still not ready to think of Wynona Ryder in “mommy” roles.
Cool open to “ST Kelvin” but really… knowing that the captain winds up with a salad shooter to the colon, it’s kinda hard to get into a series…
Nice article!
Does anyone know if Paramount will make an announcement soon if Trek will just be a movie series or both a movie and TV series? With the size and scale of the new movie can Trek go back to TV?
FYI: That should read “Binghamton Mets” and not Birmingham Mets. Birmingham as a minor league team called the “Barons”.
> And like it or not, Star Trek ‘2′ is here to stay.
“Because I said so”. “Star Trek 2” is as inconvenient as “ST09” if not more.
> Cool open to “ST Kelvin” but really… knowing that the captain winds up with a salad shooter to the colon, it’s kinda hard to get into a series…
Well, it didn’t happen in the Prime Universe – for all we know, Captain Robau lived long and prospered in the original reality!
They could easily write around cliffhangers and plot points regarding the characters who inevitably die in the movie. Wouldn’t mind a damn Trek show focused on Engineering instead of the damn bridge all the time, but that’s just me.
I guess Winona should have talked to the Shat about signing up for a Trek script in which her character dies. I’m sorry love, but I think you’re done with this series. Well maybe a flashback, after all this is the Abramsverse.
That said, yes please on Star Trek Kelvin.
That Kelvin trailer is absolutely spectacular. Great job, TheDragonWhelp!
Winona could perhaps play a young Dr. Janice Lester, who would be Kirk’s nemisis in ‘Turnabout Intruder” (Season 3 – Finale of filmed episodes of TOS). She does vaguely resemble her. Right, Roberto…?
Winona should go the classic Mark Lenard way and play the Romulan Commander from “The Enterprise Incident”.
U.S.S. Oedipus ahoy!
The last thing STAR TREK needs now is another TV series. we need a sequel to this film and perhaps another. we’ll see what happens after that. We had saturation coverage on television…we need a break while these films satisfy our TREK cravings and get the whole thing back on course…..into the big time again.
Greg UK
Damn, that Star Trek: Kelvin mighta made a good series. Great trailer, tho. Maybe NCC-0514-A will make a cameo in Star Trek: XII. One of those unexpected save-the-day appearances when they come out of nowhere to pull the Enterprise’s ox out of a combat ditch. [J.J., Bob, ya listening? ;-)] She’d look pretty sweet sporting that new saucer section and one of those big honkin’ warp nacelles.
Oooo, that sounds like a home brew kitbash ripe for Flickr posting, if you’re into that sort of thing.
I’d be ready for a new TV series–AFTER at least one more movie–but I’d be more interested in a series that heads into the future: beyond Nemesis and Voyager, into the 25th century….
Cool intro to Kelvin series, and you spared us on the lens flares! I’m a fan of Direct to DVD adventures, I’m tired of TV stations hacking up episodes to fit commercials in.
Maybe we could also get a Titan story or two on Direct to DVD sometime soon since the movie is doing so well?
My personal feeling is two more movies with the new cast, followed by a new TV series with new (TV) actors playing the roles. I for one would LOVE to see a Star Trek weekly series featuring the original crew with the money to do it right!
I wouldn’t mind seeing a Star Trek: Titan series or dvd release. If CBS does produce a new series, I think the only way the writers would have any creative freedom would be to go forward in the “prime” timeline with adventures of some combination of the TNG/DS9/VOY casts. Or even further, for “The Next Next Generation”. I hope they don’t go back and make a prequel prequel.
A show that is set concurrently with JJ’s movies (on a different ship, station, etc.) would be cool though. Unfortunately, they show would probably be dull, because they wouldn’t be able to do anything that would limit Bob and Alex. Regardless, any tv series should be put on hold until after at least one more Star Trek movie sequel is released.
28/CmdrR
“Cool open to “ST Kelvin” but really… knowing that the captain winds up with a salad shooter to the colon, it’s kinda hard to get into a series…”
What the hell is a ‘salad shooter?’ I know what a salad ‘spinner’ is, and he needs a lot of prep before that gets in there ;-).
I guess in layman’s parlance, Nero “tore him a new one.”
Too bad, because, in his brief time on screen, Robau commanded respect. He was a cool customer under fire, fearless,and intelligent. I’d love to see him again in a mini-series for DVD film.
Nice Star Trek: Kelvin animation. I’m sure Rifleman 80 will be putting some out on YouTube as well.
Another nit pick: I really don’t like that blue streaming warp effect. Too much like Hyperspace in the Star Wars universe. The distorted starfield warp effect of TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT are more visually pleasing to me.
42: “I’d be ready for a new TV series–AFTER at least one more movie–but I’d be more interested in a series that heads into the future: beyond Nemesis and Voyager, into the 25th century….”
Agreed as long as they kept some semblance of the post TNG/DS9/VOY era design aesthetic intact. ST Online will be cranking by then so it would have to tie into that.
Anyone have an idea if there are any plans to mass-produce ANY kind of Kelvin model (be it toy, Hot Wheels die-cast, model kit, etc.)?
Based on what I’ve read, a Kelvin series would be boring. It’s a scientific vessel, which granted most in Star Trek are fundamentally, but without significant weaponry so it’d have a tough time defending itself against a standard 23rd century villain’s vessel let alone something like the Narada. Also, I’m not as “impressed” with the whole first-captain-of-a-race (i.e., Robau = Arab Captain) thing automatically making him or her “cool.” Plus, even if it was one of those no-win scenarios, Robau doesn’t save the Narada, George Kirk does. And no, I’m not a racist – contrary to popular opinion, the word isn’t synonymous with “Republican.” In any case, don’t progressive-minded people welcome differering viewpoints? :D
Anyhow, great site but, just as a courteous reminder, there’s an ad still here for the GoAnimate! Mashup Contest that, based on the ad itself, ended two weeks ago.
The sad thing is, I think those guys at OOOii actually didn’t realize how unrealistic, unusable and downright trashy they were making the Enterprise displays look. They thought they were making something that looked good and exciting, while in reality, 2advanced could’ve done the same job and had it look every bit as pointless and cheesy. I kinda feel bad for them, as the guy in the interview seemed like a nice dude who was genuinely enthused about their work. Do you suppose they provide scriptwriters with the fundamentally wrecked technobabble we’re always hearing in movies, as a related side gig? :P
i love the way the kelvin captain got killed…the ‘Terminated’ thing i mean…like ‘2001’ when hal kills all the men or even like something out of Terminator (just saw T4 which i thought was pretty damn good despite the pg13 and all the negative reviews and hope they make T5/6)
for me the opening and the whole kelvin stuff was the best part of the film…it was like WHAM! heres star trek done BIG on the big screen – and hearing all the familier stuff like ‘fire phasers!’…’captain theyve locked on to us!’…’Raise shields!’… ‘klingons’ etc…and i could only imagine how awesome it mustve felt to non fans who knew very little about the movie hearing Robau go ‘your the captain now..Mr Kirk’….i swear i saw some people in the audience flinch like ‘huh! OMG thats captain kirk!’…then realise their mistake a few mins later….