Kelvin Universe

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STXI Plot, STXI Status | January 11, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 28 comments so far

IESB Reports Same Info As TrekMovie.com

In a new article, IESB is reporting that they have ‘new’ rumors about Star Trek XI. Apparently they are hearing the some of the same things that TrekMovie.com is hearing (and published over a week ago in our latest Trek XI Update). Specifically that a draft is complete, Abrams has held auditions, the film includes Scotty & Pike, and the story jumps around in time. Hopefully IESB’s ‘close source to the film’ wasn’t just reporting what he read on TrekMovie.com, but is actually confirming our report. If you missed it, make sure to read our latest Trek XI Update for even more details on Star Trek XI.   

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Shatner, ST09 Cast, STXI Plot | January 11, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 110 comments so far

Shatner Talks More About Being In Star Trek XI

Although JJ Abrams and Paramount aren’t confirming that Star Trek XI takes place before the Original Series and features a young James Kirk, William Shatner has no problem talking about it. In a brief interview with SciFi Wire, William Shatner repeated previous comments that he and producer JJ Abrams have met and that Abrams wants him in Star Trek XI. The Shat also told SciFi Wire "Yes, we know the story is based on young Kirk." The original Captain Kirk still seems fixated on how this will all work, but in this case he implies that he expects to be interacting with the young Kirk: They need to figure out how to put the dead captain in with the young captain…It’s a very complex, technical problem of how to write the character in, and I’m not sure how they will solve it.

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Abrams, STXI Status | January 9, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 86 comments so far

Abrams Wants You To Have An Open Mind

EW.com got a moment to talk Star Trek with JJ Abrams after his panel at the New York Times’ 6th Annual Arts & Leisure Weekend. Abrams confirmed TrekMovie.com’s earlier report that there is a draft of the script complete and that it will be ‘trimmed soon’. As usual JJ would not reveal any plot details but did address the contentious issue of who Trek XI is directed at. Abrams made it clear that they have a wide aim: On the one hand, for people who love Star Trek, the fix that they will get will be really satisfying…For people who’ve never seen it or know it vaguely, I think they will enjoy it equally, because the movie does not require you to know anything about Star Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don’t know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind.’

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Feature Films (TMP-NEM), Of Gods and Men, Shatner, STXI Status, TOS Remastered | January 9, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 55 comments so far

TOSR on HD DVD?, Movies on iTunes? Trek Doc, and Shatner Making Moves In A Welcome Home News Roundup

There have been some reports that Trek Remastered may be released on HD DVD as early as this year. Last we heard they wouldn’t be finished with all the episodes until next year. TrekMovie is looking into this and will report back when we get it all sorted out. Of course HD versions of TOS-R are showing up on XBox Live already if you cannot wait.    Babylon 5’s Claudia Christian claims that William Shatner made some unwanted advances on her when she was a guest star on T.J. Hooker. In an interview with retroCRUSH the actress says the Shat tried to ‘shove his tongue’ down her throat. She also says she wished she punched him in his corset. 

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Rumor, ST09 Cast | January 5, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 63 comments so far

Daniel Craig Wants In To Star Trek?

Well there is another rumor on the internets about an actor wanting in to Trek. This time it is none other than the new James Bond, Daniel Craig. World Entertainment News Network is reporting that Craig is a huge Trekkie, and quotes him as saying "I would love a stint in the (Star Trek) TV Show or in a film. It’s been a secret ambition of mine for years." However before you start screaming ‘Bond is Kirk’, remember that WENN aren’t exactly considered the most trustworthy lot in the industry. They are the same outfit that put out the ‘Cruise in Trek XI’ rumor, which TrekMovie.com quickly debunked as completely made up. We have put out some inquiries on this one as well and will see if we can get it confirmed (not holding our breath).

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Star Trek (2009 film), TOS Remastered | January 5, 2007 | By: Matt Wright 74 comments so far

TOS Writer David Gerrold Approves of Trek XI Prequel and Trek Remastered

If the name David Gerrold rings a bell, it should, he was responsible for The Trouble with Tribbles, and various Animated Trek stores too. He recently was intereviewd in Australia’s Courier Mail newspaper. He has written a new book about the original series called ‘Boarding the Enterprise‘. In the interview Gerrold speaks in favor of a "reboot" much like Batman and Superman have recently been given. Wipe the blackboard clean and you go back to Kirk, Spock and McCoy and the Enterprise, with new actors to find different interpretations of the characters. And I think there’s a possibility, just as we’ve see different interpretations of Superman and Batman, maybe that’s how Star Trek is gonna survive.

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Nimoy, Shatner, ST09 Cast | January 4, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 132 comments so far

Shatner Says Abrams Wants Him and Nimoy In Star Trek XI

For months now William Shatner has made no secret that he wants to be in Star Trek XI, and even Leonard Nimoy has said he would come out of retirement for something substantial. We also know that both actors have consulting/promotional contracts for the film and have spoken with producer JJ Abrams. Now in a new interview with IGN, The Shat says that Abrams is writing them into the script: They seem to be going in the direction of putting in [Leonard]Nimoy and myself. But in order to do that, it’s a difficult story to write. So they’re in the midst of wrestling with all of that. He also says that if Abrams wants the original Kirk and Spock, it better be more than just a cameo:

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Abrams | January 4, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 3 comments so far

Abrams To Produce Medical Show For HBO

As if he didn’t have enough on his plate, JJ Abrams will be the Executive Producer on a new medical drama just given the green light by HBO. The Hollywood Reporter describes it as is "a hospital drama that explores the battle against cancer from the patients’ point of view." It is based on a book "The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness". This is the first show that would be part of Abrams deal to develop new TV shows for Warner Brothers and would make it the 4th show he would be currently producing. It is also reported that Abrams may direct the pilot episode of the untitled medical show. The Trek XI writer/producer is already slated to direct episodes of The Office and Lost this year, but has still not committed to directing Star Trek XI. More info at The Hollywood Reporter.

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Rumor, ST09 Cast, Star Trek (2009 film), STXI Plot, STXI Status | January 3, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 71 comments so far

Star Trek XI Update

For Star Trek XI news, 2006 was both exciting and frustrating. In April and May we first learned about the project and got some public statements from producer JJ Abrams and his cohorts, then the cone of silence descended and it became almost impossible to learn anything about the film. This is actually quite normal for a film this far out. Paramount know that Trek is an important franchise and that there is really no upside to talking a lot about a film at this very early stage. For 2007, some of that will change…and it promises to be a big year for Trek XI. This article is to summarize where we are now (Much of the following has been reported before, but some is new)

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Comics, Star Trek (2009 film) | December 28, 2006 | By: John Tenuto 11 comments so far

Trek Comic Publisher To Put Out Transformers Prequels

The meeting of Autobots and Decepticons in the feature film version of Transformers July 4, 2007 will be preceded by a 4 issue prequel comic published by IDW. Transformers comic writer Simon Furman and Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall will pen the issues with art by Don Figueroa telling stories set before the big screen adventure. The first issue will be available this February with a 4 issues adaptation of the feature film being released in June. IDW also happen to be the new licensee for Star Trek comics, with a TNG series coming this January. IDW tell TrekMovie.com that their license covers ‘all of Star Trek’ and they plan on releasing a Klingon series as well as a TOS series. Can we also expect Trek XI prequels and adaptations? For now IDW remain mum on this issue, but prequel comics are all the rage and have been made for the recent Star Wars films as well as Superman Returns . Considering that Transformers is a Paramount feature film written by the same screenwriters as Star Trek XI (Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci) it seems likely we may get a prequel to the upcoming Trek prequel.

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Abrams, Feature Films (TMP-NEM), Trek Franchise | December 22, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 18 comments so far

Trek And Abrams Making The Lists

IGN Filmforce have been counting down the top 25 film franchises and Star Trek ended up as #5.  Eric Moro, IGN Editor in Chief sums Trek up thusly: Ever since The Original Series debuted on NBC back in 1966, there’s been a steady stream of Trek within the pop culture zeitgeist. Sure, I can spew off franchise facts like six TV series, 10 feature films (with an 11th currently in development from J.J. Abrams), tons of videogames, action figures, novels, comic books and two Las Vegas themed attractions. But perhaps more impressive is the impact the property has made on fandom itself—I’m talking the fan fiction, the fan films (most found on the Internet) and the yearly conventions. Even more impressive still is the impact these fans have made on the mainstream. One of many examples: After a massive letter writing campaign, NASA names the first space shuttle the Enterprise. Now that’s a powerhouse franchise!

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Star Trek (2009 film), TNG | December 21, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 103 comments so far

Spiner Questions Trek’s Appeal

Brent Spiner (TNG: Data) is already on record as being against the prequel concept for Star Trek XI and now he is also questioning the ability for Trek to again break out to the mainstream. In an interview with FilmFocusUK, Spiner jabs at JJ Abrams and Paramount saying that they spent too much money on Mission Impossible III. He then questions whether they will do the same on Trek XI And that’s the big fear with this Star Trek movie because this new regime at Paramount; I don’t know that they understand the franchise. Maybe [Abrams] will be able to do it, maybe he’ll be able to bridge the gap between the fans and the general public, but everyone’s tried to do that – that’s always been the intention – and they’ve never been able to do it. They’ve realised that if you spend any more than fifty million dollars on one of these movies you’re going to lose money. There are only so many fans that are going to go. If they come along and make an one-hundred and fifty million dollar movie they’re going to have problems. But I think he could be the guy to do it. He’s a perfectly capable guy and his shows are fun and he seems to know what he’s doing.

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Star Trek (2009 film) | December 21, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 30 comments so far

Justman Looks Forward To Trek XI

If anyone knows the original Star Trek it is Bob Justman. He was a supervising producer on the Star Trek: The Original Series and was even brought back by Gene Roddenberry to help launch Star Trek The Next Generation. Justman literally wrote the book on Trek (‘Inside Star Trek: The Real Story‘). In a new interview in Star Trek magazine, Justman discussed how he questions those who object to Star Trek XI being a prequel of TOS I don’t know much about the new film, so I don’t see why I should write it off in advance, I remember how some people tried to write – off Star Trek: The Next Generation before they saw the show. So all I’ll say at this point is that if J.J. Abrams can make a good movie that sheds more light on what has already happened and adds more creativity to the mix, that sounds great to me. 

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Orci/Kurtzman | December 20, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 16 comments so far

Transformers Movie Trailer Premieres

Today Paramount has released the first full trailer for next summer’s Transformers. The film is written by Trek XI scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Transformers is a big test for them and Paramount to see if they can take a geeky franchise with a rabid fan base and make it palatable to mainstream movie goers. If Trek XI ends up being Paramount’s big summer movie for 2008, then perhaps a year from now we will be seeing the trailer for Trek XI itself. click to go to Yahoo Movies site to see the trailer Orci and Kurtzman have also picked the winners of their ‘Write a Line For Optimus Prime’ contest, details at the official site 

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ST09 Creative | December 19, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 95 comments so far

Abrams Picks Chambliss as Production Designer for Star Trek XI

Studio sources have told TrekMovie.com that JJ Abrams has selected long-time collaborator Scott Chambliss to head up the design team for Star Trek XI. The award-winning designer has worked with Abrams on the TV shows Felicity and Alias as well as Abrams directorial debut film Mission – Impossible III. Although Chambliss has been repsonsible for defining the look on over a dozen TV and film projects, this will be his first time in science fiction (unless you count the few genre touches to Alias). For his work on Alias he received 4 Art Directors Guild ‘Excellence In Production Design’ nominations and 3 Emmy nominations (winning one of each). It is no surprise that Chambliss was chosen, and it highlights how Abrams is putting his mark onto Trek. This hire makes Star Trek XI the first Trek film without Herman Zimmerman as the Production Designer since Star Trek V in 1989. So far every single person associated with Star Trek XI is both new to the franchise and has worked with Abrams before (most on M:I:III).

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STXI Status | December 13, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 17 comments so far

Abrams Confirms Trek XI Is Targetting 2008

Looks like Paramount don’t need to change their teaser posters with the prominent ‘2008’ emblazoned on them. Although TrekMovie.com didn’t buy into it, last week Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman’s comments made many question Trek XI’s 2008 target. Dauman had stated that Star Trek XI was for ’08 or 09′ release, however Abrams confirms in today’s Variety that 2008 is indeed the target for Trek XI. From the article: "He (Abrams) said work is on track to release the new "Star Trek" pic, which Abrams is overseeing for Par, in 2008." TrekMovie.com can also confirm that sources inside the studio seem very confident that Trek XI will be released in 2008, however (as we mentioned in a recent article) winter is looking more likely than summer. When TrekMovie.com interviewed Abrams last month he did mention that he would prefer winter because that would give him more time, so it is possible he has convinced Paramount to give him the additional time. For more see the Variety article

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Rumor, STXI Status | December 12, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 123 comments so far

Trek XI Adds Additional Producer – Continues To Head Towards Greenlight

TrekMovie.com has learned that J.J. Abrams and Paramount have added Stratton Leopold to the growing list of Executive Producers for Star Trek XI. Leopold has a career that dates back to the 70s and worked with Abrams on Mission Impossible III. His other recent Paramount projects include The Sum of All Fears and Paycheck. Like with MI:III, Leopold will also function as the Unit Production Manager, who has the primary task of overseeing the budget. Leopold was not available for comment, but a studio source indicates he is expected to start working in January and his first task will be to help put together the budget. Budgeting is the last step before the official green light and usually requires a finalized script. TrekMovie.com has learned that the script is still not complete but apparently the first draft has been finished. Production is still believed to be going ahead in 2007 with a 2008 release, but it is possible that it will not be in Summer.

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ST09 Cast, Uncategorized | December 11, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 100 comments so far

Damon Says He Would Play Kirk

SciFi Wire is reporting that even though Matt Damon has not been officially approached to be the new James T. Kirk, he is open to the idea. Damon is quoted as saying: If the script was good, I’d do it, but, yeah, I heard that [rumor]. I think J.J. Abrams or somebody said that at press junket or something, and it got picked up. So there is still a chance Damon may be the new Kirk. We know that Abrams is interested and now it appears that Damon is interested as well. It makes sense that Paramount would want a big star with all the talk about Trek XI being a ‘tentpole’ movie for them. 

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Abrams, STXI Status | December 6, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 25 comments so far

Abrams Still Not Confirmed To Direct

In the recent story about comments from Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman we noted that Variety had stated that JJ Abrams was ‘slated to direct’ Star Trek XI. This of course would be newsworthy if it were true because just recently Abrams told TrekMovie he had not yet decided and would not decide until the script was complete. Some other sites have taken the Variety article as confirmation from Dauman that Abrams has made that decision, but it appears that this is a bit premature. TrekMovie has a transcript of Dauman’s comments to the CSFB conference and he made no mention of Abrams at all. The ‘Abrams directing’ line was added by Variety, something which they have done before and to which Abrams has noted they were wrong on. TrekMovie has also checked with a source inside Paramount who attributes it to ‘lazy journalism’. Although everyone assumes Abrams will be the director, it is still officially undecided.

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CBS/Paramount, STXI Status | December 4, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 29 comments so far

Viacom Chief Trumpets ‘Revitalized’ Trek [UPDATED]

In speech to investors, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman named Star Trek in his list of key components of Paramount’s future. Apparently JJ Abrams really sold the new cheif of Viacom on  Trek when he spoke to him last month (story). Specifically on Trek the executive said "we’re revitalizing it in a new and interesting way." This shows how Trek has again moved to the front burner for Viacom and Paramount. Also of note is how the article states a Trek XI release date as ‘2008 or 2009’. It also claimed that Abrams would be directing the film. Abrams recently told TrekMovie that he still was not sure if he would direct and that they will start shooting in Spring 2007 to meet a Summer 2008 release date. TrekMovie will try and clarify these two issues, but it is good to see that Trek has support all the way to the top.Full story in Variety UPDATE: Abrams still not Confirmed To Direct

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ST09 Cast | December 3, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 103 comments so far

Grunberg Co-Star Quinto Wants To Be New Spock

Zachary Quinto, who plays the villain Sylar on the hit show ‘Heroes’ wants to be the new Spock. In an interview with the Pittsburg Post Gazette Quinto says "I missed the ‘Superman Returns’ boat, so I’m angling for ‘Star Trek.’ People are constantly telling me I bear some resemblance to Leonard Nimoy." He also joked about how he would get Heroes co-star (and Abrams best friend) Greg Grunberg to get him an in with the producer of Trek XI: "Maybe Sylar should tell Greg, ‘I promise I won’t kill you if you get me an audition,’ …We’ll see what happens." So add his name to the long list of those who want to be in Trek XI. If Abrams doesn’t opt for big name stars for Kirk and Spock he could do worse than Quinto. (thanks to Steve M. for sending in a Quinto/Spock photoshop image) 

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Rumor, Star Trek (2009 film), Trek Franchise | December 1, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 37 comments so far

Is There An Agreement For No Trek On TV Until After Trek XI?

Many have wondered when (or if) Star Trek will return the the small screen after an 18-year run ended with the cancellation of ‘Star Trek Enterprise’ in 2005. According to TrekMovie.com sources it certainly will not be until after 2008 and the release of Star Trek XI. Sources tell TrekMovie that there is some kind of deal between CBS and Paramount Pictures where no new TV projects will be developed now that Paramount is developing a feature film. Apparently this deal was part of the convoluted license sharing deal struck when Viacom split-up and separated the TV and film elements of Trek between the two companies. Although there is no indication that there was a new TV series in development, TrekMovie has learned that there may have been one or more smaller scale projects being considered. It appears that after Trek XI was announced any Trek on TV work at CBS was ‘frozen’. "It is in a holding pattern now" said a source inside CBS regarding Trek TV projects. Obviously this agreement does not effect the remastered Star Trek series project because it is not actually ‘new’ but a  restoration of the original series. None of this is really a big surprise, as another insider put it "it makes sense, Paramount is about to pump a lot of money into the brand so CBS is better off waiting for that." When asked about the deal CBS’s official spokesperson only replied ‘no comment’ so for now file this under rumor, but TrekMovie will continue to look into it.  

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Abrams, Uncategorized | November 29, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 5 comments so far

Abrams To Direct Episode Of ‘The Office’

Star Trek XI  producer JJ Abrams remains coy about whether or not he will direct the next Trek feature, but he has committed to do some directing in 2007. Abrams is already slated to direct an episode of his hit series Lost this season and according to TV Guide will also direct an episode of the NBC comedy ‘The Office’ in January. TV Guide reports that Abrams is a big fan of the show. TrekMovie.com can confirm this, in fact we got him on tape saying so during our recent interview with him.

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Orci/Kurtzman, Uncategorized | November 26, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 17 comments so far

Trek XI Scribes Invited Innovative Input Session on Transformers Script

TrekMovie has reported how Star Trek XI co-writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have sought out fan input for their Transformers Movie script. The LA Times is now reporting that they also used an novel approach to get peer feedback on the script as well. Apparently in May (right before shooting began) they held a ‘brainstorming session’ with a number of other writers to help give the script a final polish. From the article: Kurtzman and Orci’s dream team included David Ayer ("Training Day," "Harsh Times"), Rawson Marshall Thurber ("Dodgeball"), stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt ("MADtv"), Jon Hurwitz ("Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle"), Lona Williams ("Drop Dead Gorgeous"), Jeff Nathanson ("Catch Me If You Can") and Don D. Scott ("Barbershop"). While all of the screenplay’s major elements — structure, plot, characters — were locked down, these writers were asked to double check its logic and help squeeze whatever additional humor they could from potentially comedic moments.

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Star Trek (2009 film), TNG, TOS Remastered | November 24, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 16 comments so far

Frakes OK With Trek XI As A Prequel, Not OK With TOSR Edits

The man who directed two out of the 4 TNG era Trek films seems OK that their reign is over. In an interview with the Indiana Star Jonathan Frakes (TNG: Riker) admitted that he doesn’t know anything more about Trek XI than what is rumored, but didn’t understand those fans who are against a Kirk & Spock prequel: Seems like a perfectly good idea. . . . (The movie’s producers) just need to remember Gene Roddenberry’s vision It is good to see that he hasn’t joined the chorus of other TNG actors (Sirtis, Spiner and Dorn) who are slamming Star Trek XI for its rumored premise (and presumably for not including them).  

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Abrams, Star Trek (2009 film) | November 24, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 100 comments so far

Abrams Gushes Over Nimoy and Shatner

3 months ago TrekMovie confirmed that both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have some sort of contractual involvement in Star Trek XI. In the latest issue of Dreamwatch Magazine, producer J.J. Abrams talks up how happy he is to have them around… the involvement of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy means a great deal to us on many levels, not the least of which is just the respect of who they are and what they do. They are the carriers of this torch and, without being too reverential; we want to show them the kind of appreciation and admiration they deserve.

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Feature Films (TMP-NEM), STXI Plot | November 23, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 22 comments so far

Bennett Sees Parallels With His Star Trek VI and Star Trek XI

Harve Bennett was the producer for the golden age of Star Trek films back in the 1980s. After the lackluster performance of Star Trek V in 1989, Bennett (along with writer  David Laurie) developed a script called ‘Star Trek: The Academy Years’ which was to reboot the franchise with younger actors playing Kirk and Spock at Starfleet Academy. In the end the studio decided to give the original cast one more go and Bennett left the franchise. Earlier this year when Variety broke the first news about Trek XI and used the word ‘Academy’ in their brief plot outline many thought that Bennett’s script was back. Even after J.J. Abrams called the Variety article ‘not entirely accurate’ many still speculated there was some link, including Mr. Bennett himself.

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Abrams, Shatner, ST09 Cast | November 15, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 122 comments so far

More From Shat On Coming Back From The Dead

Things were a bit quiet from the Shatner camp since his odd ‘gas’ statement a few weeks back, but now he is again talking up JJ Abrams and Star Trek XI. Shat is promoting his new gameshow ‘Show Me The Money’ but interviewers always get around to asking about Trek. The Shat tells UGO I met with Mr. Abrams, and they’ve got a really good plot going, and they’re trying to find Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk, the elderly ones. How you get a dead Captain to communicate with himself, younger, is going to be a very arduous plotting, and I’m going to be interested to see how they solve it.  

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Abrams, Conventions/Events/Attractions, Rumor, Shatner, ST09 Cast | November 14, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 113 comments so far

Shatner Says Abrams Wants Him and Nimoy in Trek XI

William Shatner appeared at a couple of Trek conventions over the weekend and gave some more details from his conversations with Star Trek XI Producer J.J. Abrams. According to TrekWeb, Shatner again confirmed that the characters of Kirk and Spock would be in the film, telling the crowd in Springfield, MA that "I had a talk with J.J. Abrams a while ago and they were writing a new script – and we are all hoping it will be wonderful…and he said, they were going to get the Kirk and Spock characters in there." The next day Shatner was in New York where Doug Wilson of TrekCore.com reports Shatner as saying "J.J. [Abrams] is committed to having Leonard and I, Leonard and me, in the film." Shatner also suggested that Abrams would be looking at unkowns for the roles of the younger Kirk and Spock.