Saldana Talks Star Trek/Avatar 2015 Productions Coordination + Pregnancy Confirmed

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Zoe Saldana is going to have a busy 2015. The actress has confirmed speculation that she and her husband are expecting. She is also talking about shooting the next Star Trek and Avatar movies. More details below

Saldana Talks Star Trek/Avatar coordination + TOS Uhura as ‘eye candy’ + typecasting

Zoe Saldana will be hitting the big screen again on August 1st in the Marvel sci-fi film Guardians of the Galaxy and as part of the promotion she is the subject of a cover story interview in next issue of Hollywood Reporter Magazine. In the article the actress admits she doesn’t know anything about the plot of the next film but she did reveal that producers (presumably at Bad Robot) are coordinating with James Cameron’s team to coordinate her schedule for Trek and the next Avatar movie. Here is the excerpt…

So, what are Avatar 2, 3, and 4 going to be about? Reveal every plot detail, please.

I wish I knew! I’ve been told by Jim [Cameron] that it’ll be about an overall spiritual journey, but I don’t have a script.

OK, then how about Star Trek 3?

I know even less about Trek 3. All I know is that the producers of Trek 3 called the producers of Avatar 2 to find out when Avatar will finish shooting. [They both start shooting next year.]

In other interviews Saldana has said that shooting for the next Avatar films is set to start in "early" 2015. Recently Roberto Orci has said he hoped to start production for the 2016 Star Trek film in the spring of 2015. This would not be the first time that the productions had to work together, the shooting schedules for both JJ Abrams Star Trek and James Cameron’s Avatar also had some overlap.

The interview also touched on the issues of women in sci-fi and typecasting…

The sci-fi genre has not always been such a welcoming place for women. In the original Trek, most of the women were in miniskirts or tin-foil bikinis. Even Uhura wasn’t much of a role …
She was eye candy. But that’s true of every genre. Eighty percent of what’s out there is told through the point of view of a male. I can sit down with so many filmmakers for so many projects and play so many actors’ girlfriends or wives. But in sci-fi, I can play Gamora.

Are you worried about getting typecast in sci-fi? Are you longing to do a serious drama set in a one-room cottage in the woods?

A lot of the people who have power — the ones doing the casting or writing reviews — these are people who put people in boxes. They look at what I’ve done and think, "Oh she’s a sci-fi beauty queen." I wish that wasn’t the case. I didn’t purposely avoid doing things other than sci-fi. In between Avatar, Star Trek and Guardians, I’ve done other films, right here on Earth.

New Guardians Clip

Speaking of Guardians of the Galaxy, here a clip Marvel released today featuring Zoe (as Gamora) and the gang planning their escape from space prison.

Saldana confirms pregnancy

In more personal Saldana news, the actress’ publicist has confirmed the speculation that she and her husband Marco Perego are expecting their first child. According to Us Weekly, Zoe is three months pregnant So congratulations Zoe!


Saldana and baby bump at Monday’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ premiere in Hollywood

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You could say Saldana is having her own pregnant pause.

I find it perplexing that there’s an actress who has played a blue alien and a green alien, but neither was for her role in two Trek films.

Zoe, congratulations on your procreation!

#1. Harry Ballz – July 23, 2014

Told ya she was Peregonant.

Nice to hear someone speak candidly. Bob Orci, please take notes…..

Oh, and Marvel has dumped a butt-load of untitled projects into the schedule. If GOTG takes off, expect more demands on Ms. Saldana’s time…

Man, she’s a busy woman. Good for her! Being a Hollywood actor has a short life span, and its great that she is getting all these roles. Kudos!

Though i am not optamistic about GOTG, i do congratulate Ms Saldana on her new addition to her family.

I wonder how much the pregnancy, Avatar, etc., will affect Saldana’s schedule for shooting the next Trek.

It might cause the Uhura character to have a much diminished role. Bummer.

What’s not to be optimistic about — it looks fantastic!

I don’t really see the need for three Avatar movies. Cameron should just make one or two sequels & then move on to work on ‘Battle Angel Alita’.

Congratulations to Zoe Saldana and her wee one!

She is simply amazing.

She should be able to do the Uhura Role when shooting, if she is Three Months Pregnant right now, and Pregnancy lasts 9 months, she should be able to shoot early next year, and I bet they will allow her to have the baby on set of both Films….she may have to be on the Bridge more and less Action roles but we will see.

Is Cameron really making three more Avatar movies?!???!

What the hell ARE they going to be about???

Avatar 2: Rise of the Planet of the Na’vi?

Avatar 3: Battle for the Planet of the Na’vi?

Avatar 4:Escape from the Planet of the Na’vi?

“Take your stinking paws off me you damned dirty Na’vi!”

Congrats to Zoe! I knew already from some pictures… She’s just so beautiful and hers gonna be a cute kid!

As for trek, I think Zoe is already 4-5 but anyway she’ll have her baby way before they start filming trek. I think I read somewhere that avatar will start to film much later than what originally said. Zoe probably chose to have a baby now because she knew it would’t conflict with either of her projects.

Her point about sexism in Hollywood is spot on. She said a similar thing in another interview too and she praised JJ&co for her Uhura as well.

PS: I say she’s probably 5 months and not 3 like the article states because girl is petite and slender and this would be her first baby so the baby bump would appear later compared to others…if she’s already showing it she must be more than 3… Anyway even if she’s 3 it still gives her time. She probably will take advantage of trek and avatar filming to get in shape again (assuming she will need that) I think that among the cast she’s probably the one who is physically more trained for action scenes because she used to be a dancer too and she’s used to go to the gym even when she’s not filming movies that demand her in action scenes. Karen Gilliam noticed that when they were filming gotg together.
TL dr; you should be more worried about Pine, Quinto and the other dudes not being in a good physical shape for the action scenes, if any, LOL

So let me get this straight … Zoe is three months pregnant which means she’ll give birth sometime around January. Then as early as month later she’s going to be running around fighting aliens on a five year mission, as Orci hinted shooting would start in the Spring, while nursing her child on set? Wow.

Well good luck with that.

@ – Cygnus-X1

You have to go “beneath” the Planet Na’vi first. Who knows what lurks below.

Bigger jumblies for Uhur-rhaaa!

I wonder if it will affect her Avatar CGI character, as well. A good center of gravity means everything to an animator!

I wonder. Perhaps too much.

All the best to her and her little one. Truth be told I would rather see less of her in the next movie.

#21 Ensign Ricky
Me too.

No issue for Trek at all….I hear the pitter patter of baby Spock feet in the corridors of the Big E!

probably kill Uhura off so they can have Spock sobbing all movie.

who knows, they could always make Uhura pregnant too and introduce us to a tiny vulcan ;) and thus show you that in space and in the future far away from us life still goes on and people still get together and procreate and they live their lives as people in between space-fights and new planets to discover (Roddenberry’s original idea too)… and also that it doesn’t have to be always about the dudes only the dudes forever the dudes
*here’s waiting for inevitable someone who has a nervous breakdown about the idea*

you have all these secondary characters that get so little screentime already and of course you want to see ‘less’ of the female character…

so predictable and also so symbolic that a young healthy woman’s pregnancy is always used by fanboys as a pretext to get rid of her character or hope that the writers will do that…

In the mean time, you have one Harrison Ford still playing Han Solo in his 70s and after he got injured on set…

There are some obnoxious, blatantly sexist comments here. There’s no reason why Zoe can’t be on set “only” a month after giving birth. She’s obviously keeping herself in tip-top shape.

Having said that, I prefer not to see Spock and Uhura have a kid. It has nothing to do with the actress’ pregnancy, just a matter of practicality. The Enterprise is no place for kids. The ship was nearly destroyed in the last two movies.

TNG did it, and it made little sense when you remember the battles with the Borg, the Romulans, and the Cardassians, not to mention the other dangerous situations the ship and crew found themselves in.

DS9 is different, as it was set on a space station and evacuation of non-crew was a lot easier as they were already near a planet (Bajor).

@ 27. Red Dead Ryan – July 24, 2014

“There’s no reason why Zoe can’t be on set “only” a month after giving birth. She’s obviously keeping herself in tip-top shape.”

Agreed, it is not that hard to write few scenes where she is on the bridge informing Kirk that “Hailing frequencies open, Captain!”.

“I prefer not to see Spock and Uhura have a kid.”

Why not ? Now you’re being sexist. Do you expect her to abandon her baby Spock or what ?

@15. Cygnus-X1 & 19. Admiral Stedman

LOL

In the 2009 film, Spock called an assembly of what looked like the entire Star Fleet Academy, plus Star Fleet officers, to reprimand Cadet Kirk for installing a different program in the Old Maru.

Next scene, Uhura chases Spock down and demands that she be on the Enterprise. Spock folds like a cheap –well–folding chair, and assigns her to the Enterprise. Yikes, can’t have his girl friend nagging at him like that!

I wonder who told the individual originally assigned to the Enterprise to get off that shuttle and go find the Farragut shuttle. if it were me, I’d be pissed.

Of course that individual would soon be killed over Vulcan after the very very very short while it took to get to Vulcan. Tough shit, Uhura had to be with her man.

I love Nichelle’s characterization and wish she had had more camera time.

I saw Zoe Saldana in a 2002 “Law and Order” episode last night and thought she was more Uhura material in that episode than the pushy, spoiled way JJ, Orci or whoever, designed her.

I like Zoe. I have no point here, exactly, just expressing an honest opinion and hope not to be called names or attacked for doing so.

I would indeed like to ask STID’s Spock why he made a dramatic big deal out of chastising a cadet in front of the entire academy (why not just have Tyler Perry call Kirk in, read him the riot act, and put him on suspension or kick him out?)– but then changed the rules and did equally as “bad” a thing when he quickly put his girl friend on the Enterprise just to keep her from nagging him. And that was in real potential combat, not a simulation.

I meant, “I would indeed like to ask nuSpock”–as I was not talking about STID.

26 Jemini, Yep. Some Trek “fans” seem to think Uhura belongs on the Bridge being a “telephone operator” and not have a significant role as a communicator/translator in more than the Bridge operation. Yes, Bridge operations are very significant, but First Contact and negotiation operations even moreso for an exploring starship. There are a few who seem to think Uhura’s fine as a professional without a romantic relationship but this is not canon in the AltVerse.

Nor is it a reality in the box office universe, because many women like to see ladies in kick-ass positions who are also involved with the “hot guy” … and Spock has the unique distinction of being the intellect of the Enterprise, and one of the hottest guys on board. [Witness the huge amount of fan mail Nimoy received during the TOS run.]

A side note, plenty of modern-day military folks are in significant relationships and/or married. And yes, some actually serve in the same military unit, just in different divisions under different supervisors. By Trek’s time, I imagine even these distinctions may fade, as long as the individuals’ professionalism remains paramount.

I also object to the idea that Spock “must” remain a solitary, lonely man. Of course there is that vocal minority who think Uhura is “cock-blocking” Kirk and Spock, but they are a tiny minority of the Trek movie-going public, in addition to being a minority of Trek fans.

Jemini and Ahmed, I would differ with you on the idea of babies/children on the Enterprise — unless there’s an inviolable “saucer separation” that even a crazy like Nero would not attack. After all, if a villain or an opposing force want to decimate Federation races, what better way than to attack their young.

27 RDR, yes, I agree. On DS9 it was not problematic, but on a starship, going into unpredictable situations, it would be irresponsible to have children on board.

30, Lives! I imagine that perhaps Spock did this because he knew that Uhura was the best cadet for the job. He had decided to avoid the appearance of conflict by NOT assigning her to Enterprise, but she convinced him otherwise by reminding him of her qualifications [or, “nagging,” in your terms]. So, you appear to be saying, “better to have no conflict of personal interest as perceived by Spock, than to have the best person for the job.”

It will be a very pretty and fashion-forward baby, I’m sure!

@IDIC Lives!

Admiral Tyler Perry called the assembly, not Spock – Spock was just an instructor who reported the hacking to his superiors, as was probably the rule, and then they were the ones who decided how to make an example out of Kirk.

And Uhura was actually in the right when she demanded the Enterprise posting, because she was the top communications cadet and deserved the flagship job upon graduation and she knew it. It’s the same as Chekov getting posted there for being the top navigator. Spock recommended she be sent somewhere else because he was the one who couldn’t keep his own personal and professional feelings separate and wanted to cover his own butt just in case anybody side-eyed him for his girlfriend being on the same ship as him. D!ck move. Whoever was in the post and was sent off to the Farragut was probably supposed to be on the Farragut to begin with until Spock mucked the assignments up.

Hummm…Admiral Perry says “we are here today…” but not sure he called them together but–ok. I assume it was based on Spock’s report which must have been rather radical. But ok.

However, Spock did assign Uhura on the Farragut, he was her commanding officer, the ships were leaving, it was chaos. She should have stuck to what had been ordered, regardless of why Spock ordered it.

Uhura was not the main Communications Officer when the Enterprise took off but it turned out, she could speak several kinds of Romulan. I guess the usual Enterprise Chief Communications officer was a bit lacking.

So she took over and yes, she apparently graduated at top of her class but she was first and foremost Star Fleet personnel, as was Spock. Their romance got in the way, even at first when Spock took her off the Enterprise in the first place – which maybe was unfair to her. However, her time of protest was simply wrong – and how to tell the other no doubt talented Communications Officer, to get the heck off the Enterprise and race for the Farragut?

She was officially assigned to the Farragut, and they were in a hurried, crisis situation. She should have accepted it, gotten on board, and protested later.

Yes, a silly picky thing but it does give the impression of Uhura as being inconsiderate of the other Communications Officer and a bit quarrelsome demanding and nagging.

Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite Marvel comic (the 2008 run, specifically). I’m looking forward to that movie more than any other right now.

Nony,
So, did Spock muck up assignments or did he make a logical decision which Uhura simply refused to accept and Spock buckled?

He mucked up the assignment b/c of his own fear that his assigning Uhura to Enterprise would be perceived as “favoritism.”

As to Uhura as being inconsiderate of the other Communications Officer and a bit quarrelsome demanding and nagging., I think Spock was inconsiderate of Uhura, the best Comms Cadet at the Academy, in choosing her assignment due to his own feelings;

and I am so tired of the term “nagging” being applied to Uhura.

32 Marja

Uhura should have gotten her top post if she was indeed the top Communications graduate (and yes she was).

However, she has also embarked on a deep relationship with a higher officer. This brings additional issues, she must realize.

That officer assigned her to a ship other than the top ship (Enterprise) for that reason (their affair), actually for a very selfish reason, so he would not be seen as assigning favorites.

In fact, she had earned the right to be on the Enterprise. He also perhaps did not want to worry about his girl friend, he wanted to function logically and without favor to others aboard, I assume.

I am merely saying, the fault of hers is that she followed him around in a time of hurried crisis and insisted on being reassigned to the E.

This either left the Farragut minus one top communications officer or made one of her classmates run like hell for the Farragut.

She should have waited. Of course she would have been dead since the other communications officer died with the Farragut.

My point is that neither Spock nor Uhura were quite excellent, so to speak, in this scenario. They acted selfishly. And in defense of those two beloved characters, I don’t think they should have been written that way.

Why bother to make her demanding and Spock selfish (concerned for his image?) and then weak-willed when she demanded to get back on the Enterprise?

This is not how either of these characters are. It is the antithesis of their established characters. Uhura carries out her duties, regardless, she is the ultimate professional. Spock–is not concerned with “how it will appear” and is not weak willed.

And yes, Admiral Barnett [played by Tyler Perry] called the cadets together for a formal hearing. As an instructor Spock would not have that power. Yes, Spock reported Kirk for cheating, as an instructor should have.

17 Jemini, I say she’s probably 5 months and not 3 like the article states because girl is petite and slender and this would be her first baby so the baby bump would appear later compared to others…if she’s already showing it she must be more than 3…

I have a sister-in-law who showed that same size “baby bump” when she was eight months pregnant!

Saldana is probably keeping up with dance stretches and mild dance exercises and is muscular from a near lifetime of dance training; Quinto is already getting in shape, and how many people here think any actor in Hollywood takes more than a week or two “off” from fitness training? It’s a job requirement! [The muscle building such as Chris Hemsworth has to do for “Thor” is more intensified training with a higher lean-protein diet, but that’s a little different from maintaining a handsome or beautiful slim “marketable” figure.]

I never did have much of a baby bump and my daughter was over 8 pounds. I recovered very quickly afterward also but I had always done gymnastics and dance and was 22. So–

The size of the bump seems to vary for some good reasons but then again, it seems dependent on the individual woman. Not sure which.

No, Spock realized his error in judgement and reassigned Uhura to be on the Enterprise.

Whether Zoe Saldana has as big a role in the third movie is a matter for the story writers and herself. There is no reason why Zoe could not have her baby with her as she works on being Lt Uhura. Lots of women do it.

Yes, there is sexism here on this thread and it has little to do with any concern for the welfare of Zoe and her newly born little one, from where I stand. The welfare of Zoe and her baby should be paramount when it comes to what decisions get made as to how much and what her character, Lt Uhura, has to do. There are always stunt doubles.

I have an impression that most actors (male and female) like to be able to do as much of the work that may require a stunt double as they can themselves. The fact that, possibly, some of Lt Uhura’s scenes may require the use of a stunt double than would have been the case in the past, can be our little secret. We know why that might be – after all, Zoe’s and her baby’s health come first. Simply because this actress will be a new mother is no reason to exclude her from playing an active a role in the third movie as well.

Take care, Zoe. You don’t have to be superwoman.

Nobody knew I was pregnant until I was about five months pregnant, with all three of my children. I think it has to do with individual metabolisms and body shape.

I feel we are too quick to make accusations of sexism on this thread and on this site. We all simply love the Star Trek which we perceive; these guys don’t strike me as actual sexists.

There might be a baby on board the Enterprise one way or the other once in a while but I do not feel there should or would have been (will be–) babies living on the Enterprise.

34. IDIC Lives

I suppose you think that Kirk and Bones friendship also got in the way of their professionality and they should be punished and pushed away from the ship. Kirk wasn’t assigned to any ship there because be cheated on an academy test…but his friend used his position as a medical officer to infect him with a virus and sneak him aboard the enterprise where Kirk got on the bridge and Pike made him, Simeone who wasn’t even assigned to the shop, the first officer (adieu protocol ) Then after getting marooned on delta v for being insurbordinate with the acting captain, he got on the ship again with a dude, Scotty, who has been put on the planet as a punishment for his own unprofessionality with a superior whose dog was lost in space for his fault. Kirk then proceeded to be insurbodinate again with the captain untill the latter almost kills him. With the acting captain being ’emotionally compromised’ cadet Kirk not even assigned to the enterprise because of his cheating on a test becomes the captain and makes Scotty the chief engineering officer, even tho the latter hadn’t be assigned to the enterprise.

And here you complain that a girl who worked hard to get on that ship, and probably had so many credits that she knew she’d get there, rightfully went to her superior to complain because he overconpensated in fear of ‘the appareance of favoritism’ because he also is her boyfriend AND THEN ne corrects his mistake when she reminds him logic.

You are not sexist for not wanting a s/ u kid, you’re blatantly sexist when talking about s/u for another reason.
Using your so efficient logic, then the writers should delete any possible platonic relationship b/w the dudes who are, by all means, far more unprofessional than Uhura.
Don’t tell me Uhura must shut up and say ‘yes, sir’ all the time when people like McCoy go to the acting captain and tell him he’s ‘out of his vulcan mind’ +any racist remarks he absolutely needs to make

44. IDIC Lives! – July 24, 2014
I feel we are too quick to make accusations of sexism on this thread and on this site.


Yet, the hypocrisy of some arguments here leaves little choice
the smell of sexism is strong
Your fixation with s/u and Uhura being ‘professional’ or their relationship being this big obstacle is, frankly, quite ridiculous and over the top when compared to the utter unprofessional behavior of their ‘friends’ on that ship that no one really talks or complains about here. You gotta notice some patterns…in both movies you have male characters that are super unprofessional in the name of friendship YET they get a free pass and you only single out the female character and criticize her for much less than what the dudes do
The smell of concern trolling is also strong.

37. Marja – July 24, 2014

and I am so tired of the term “nagging” being applied to Uhura
——-

Especially when there are characters far more ‘nagging’ but they aren’t called like that simply because they are not women.
I wonder if that ‘Uhuro’ guy from the comics is spared of this ..probably not because the ‘o’ in the end isn’t enough to make people forget the main one is a girl.

Given Jemini’s rather accurate appraisal of the relative professionalism of the main characters in the first BR Star Trek film, I would have to say that the person who clearly stands out as being the most *professional* is actually Cadet Uhura (later promoted to Lieutenant by Captain Pike). Her lack of professionalism on occasions – eg giving Spock a goodbye kiss on the transporter pad which many see as unprofessional, pales into insignificance compared with the males have got away with, including Captain Pike.

Let’s just summarize – she was better than her male colleagues. Then again, they were all humans or human/vulcan, having to deal with, make the best of extraordinary and terrifying circumstances, and survive!

I wonder if we’d be having these arguments if the BR movies featured characters from TNG, DS9, VOY, or ENT instead.

Because I get the sense there’s a sort of Talifan mentality going on — if the movies feature TOS characters, we have to maintain the 60’s status quo — at least in terms of keeping Uhura as a background character.

Would there be this argument if say, it was T’Pol, Troi, Kira, or Jadzia Dax doing the same thing, ie confronting commanding officers, questioning orders, leaving their posts, et al?

Or is it because some here don’t consider the spin-offs as “true” Trek, thus making it easier for them to dismiss the strong female characters of the latter Treks as a way of justifying continuing the decades-old treatment of Uhura as part of their puritanical 60’s fantasies/delusions?

And again, I’m no fan of the Spock/Uhura romance. I just don’t think it works. Outside of Miles and Keiko O’Brien, there hasn’t been a romantic relationship that has been convincing or natural in Trek.

But that’s just my opinion, of course.