Return of the Tom Cruise Rumor: Now As Pike! [UPDATE: Rumor Denied]

Remember last fall when TrekMovie.com crushed the Tom Cruise in Star Trek rumor, when his own people told us it wasn’t true. Well it is hard to keep a good rumor down and now IGN are saying that JJ Abrams wants Tom Cruise to play a cameo as Chris Pike…the captain of the Enterprise before Jim Kirk (originally played by Jeffrey Hunter). TrekMovie.com cannot confirm or deny this report at this time. IGN has good sources, but some of their previous casting rumors didn’t pan out.

UPDATE: Rumor Denied
Arnold Robinson, a publicist for Mr. Cruise, tells TrekMovie.com that this story is "not true." TrekMovie.com has also not been able to get any confirmation of the story from any sources.   

The idea of Cruise as Pike is not that crazy, and not a bad idea actually. Abrams has a good relationship with Cruise (it was Cruise who plucked Abrams from the world of TV to bring him on to direct Mission: Impossible: III). Abrams has since stated that he would like to work with the actor again. In the TrekMovie.com recommendations for casting last year I suggested Cruise as the villain (and Tom Hanks as Pike). Cruise has done cameos, the latest of which was in Austin Powers in Goldmember. Assuming they could meet his price they would also have to ensure that it doesn’t get the kibosh by Viacom chief Sumner Redstone who unceremoniously ended Cruise’s long-time relationship with Paramount a year ago.

Expect big names in smaller parts
TrekMovie.com reported long ago that that Pike will be in the movie, and it TrekMovie.com has been told that it is likely that some of these smaller supporting parts will have bigger name actors since the main cast is likely to be made up of lesser-knowns. This was done to good effect in another recent franchise refresh Batman Begins: – which had Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman). IGN also reported that Paramount are looking at another A-lister for the role of the villain. Right now the producers are deep into casting this film and so expect to see lots and lots of casting rumors and news over the next couple of months.    

PIKE POLL:

vote in the latest poll (right column) on who you would want to see as Captain Pike 

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I could live with Tom playing me.
First?

Do not cast Tom Cruise, I beg you!! He’ll throw the whole friggin’ movie off, I assure you! THE MAN IS NOT A GOOD ACTOR!!!

Tom Cruise as Pike?!? I ‘m not seeing it. Maybe I’m a stickler for the new actor looking very much the original actor, but I just can’t see Cruise working as Pike.

 Tom Cruise…what the hell. Stranger things have happened, and I\’m fine with JJ shaking things up!

I can see Cruise in a cameo as Pike. I have no problem with the idea whatsoever.

Paramount, on the other hand, might. The break-up between Cruise and Paramount was not an amicable one, and the studio might not someone they consider publicly a bit…what’s a diplomatic term I can use here?…”skittish” to appear in the revival of their tentpole franchise.

My feeling is this won’t happen. I expect to see a major star sign on for a supporting role, but it won’t be Cruise.

Next rumor, please.

Tom Cruise as Pike sound ok with me after all not going to be a big part, i guess, and it wound bring a lot of press to the probjet ! he can turn in a good performance, so win win just not kirk or any of the other main parts please. not first but who care about that apart a really sad person

You know who I would cast as Pike? Paul Gross. Yeah, he’s a kanuck. But if you’ve ever seen Due South, I think we could agree that he would have not only the look, but the gravitas needed to pull off Pike. Tom Cruise just dosin’t have the height or the look.

Cruise as Pike and Beyonce as Uhura would kill this movie.

The old adage is, “there are no small parts, just small actors”. Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to be so stupid that you go out and cast the smallest actor you can find! Hey, the one plus side to Cruise being so short? He’s the last one to know it’s raining!!

Tom Cruise is not a good actor? Harry, you’re out of your mind. Even if you’re not a fan of MI1/2/3 or War of the Worlds, what about Minority Report? A Few Good Men? The Firm? Jerry Maguire? Rain Man? Born on the Fourth of July?

The guy can act, but I think gets dinged because he’s a pretty boy. I doubt this rumor is for real, but on the off chance it is, I think it would work.

And even if you think he doesn’t have a lot of range, are you telling me that playing a cocky starship captain isn’t right in his wheelhouse? :)

I thought tom cruise was good in “Risky buisness” and Interview with a vampire” but I dont care about much else, Since the role only requires his “temporary presence” I will allow this, Who knows, maybe cruise will steal the movie and he will sign on as pike for the next 5 films..Could happen:)

I don’t mind Tom Cruise as Pike. That could work. And having Ryan Reynolds as Kirk would be great too! What do you guys think?

Tom Cruise as “Fleet Captain” … yuck … I can smell the cheese.

I have a hard time seeing him in the role of Pike. If so, this won’t be Jeffrey Hunter’s Captain Pike, that’s for sure! Hey, why not Matt Damon as Captain Pike?

Sign on for 5 more films? That’s what we’re all afraid of…..Cruise’s acting is the worst!! I’ve seen better acting in high school plays!

Cruise’s $$ demends will probably be too much, even for a brief cameo, to be seriously considered. Plus, as good of an actor as he is (and I personally, do not consider him ‘America’s BEST actor, as some of the publicity claims), he’s frankly a loose cannon with his personal life as he showed all too well a couple of years ago (and how many of you think that that whole business WASN’T a publicity stunt?). That said, however, at least he’s not a $1000-a-day junkie like some I could name.

I do suspect they will have some big-name cameos, since that is the tendacy nowadays.

OK, I think I get it…Mr. Ballz is a troll.

Right, moving on.

It’s alright, although I thought Cruise and Paramount are not on good terms. How about George Clooney?

Nah I don’t see it. His asking price is probably way too much and without sounding presumptious I don’t see the role of Pike as being very big.

Clooney seems a bit too old. If you figure that Pike must’ve finished his tour on the Enterprise not long after The Cage (since Spock doesn’t seem to age much from The Cage to Where No Man…), then I don’t think he’s that much older than Kirk. (Cruise isn’t a youngster anymore either, but his babyface helps.)

Or they could go with Gary Sinese…

I’d be okay with it, as long as it’s Pike post-accident.

The thought of Tom Cruise being able to communicate solely through a beep and flashing light is… intriguing.

Total BS – Just another Rumor.

JJ and company… Ya might want to cast Ray Liotta to portray Pike. (If the character will be in the movie)

From the IGN article:

“And if you think this Cruise stuff is crazy then you don’t even want to know which A-lister we were told Paramount is trying to land to play the villain!”

… uh oh.

Eh… I can deal with it… but only if the idea of big names surround the lesser knowns. If he’s the only one, he’ll stick out as Tom Cruise, not a character… remember Ted Danson suddenly showing up all pretty in “Saving Private Ryan”? Tom is a bit too smiley for Pike, who really was quite a sourpuss. I think the idea of Tom Hanks is growing on me.

I’d love to see either Tom Selleck or Eddie Murphy anywhere in a small role… both are supposedly big Trek fans, and both were supposedly rumored as considerations way way back for Trek IV. But that’s just a fan thinking silly.

Cruise or Hanks as Pike would be cool with me.

Tom Cruise may have the looks and might be able to pull it off as Captain Pike but he seems too cocky (immature) for this role. Then again….that might be is his favor. When
I picture this actor I forever see him as a wise-ass in Top Gun and thats not a element that I can see working in the next Star Trek film in any shape or form.
He’s too full of himself and a tad bit weird.

Its Ray Liota!!!! C’mon people! He looks just like the original actor, and is the perfect age for the part!

Thank You DEMODE!!!!! I agree 100%

Troll? Hardly! I have every right to protest Tom Cruise being cast in the movie. I know when an actor has “it” and, believe me, Mr. Cruise DOES NOT HAVE IT!

Regardless of what I think of Tom’s acting ability, I’d rather not have him anywhere near this movie because any character he plays, people will never see his character, they will always see Tom Cruise.

Wouldn’y it be great, to add to the films humor is we could cast Schwarzenegger as a klingon?

Rumor alert!
Tom Cruise will play Alexander, the character from ‘Plato’s step-children’!

While I really don’t like Cruise, I could imagin him as Pike (as long as the role isn’t that big)…But hasn’t Paramount fired him for good? I’d prefer Ray Liotta though…

Tom Cruise would be fine as Pike and lend the project more solid credibility. Maybe we’ll see him get blasted by the radiation…and then Sean Kenney will take over. One beep for yes?

I have to say for the first time I’m getting a bit worried about the guys making this movie. First, Tom Cruise as Pike. Even more worrisome is there are the misguided casting instructions that McCoy is to be a character who seeks out danger. McCoy- the everyman, the regular guy caught up in bizarre outer space situations, as DeForest Kelley described the role- does not seek out danger (he is afraid of the transporter, for example).
Of course I expect some changes in a 2007 version of Trek. I want Trek back soooo much- but not if they turn this into something that is really not Trek after all.

I’m all for big names playing the lesser roles and unknowns playing the main roles, but please, NO CRUISE!

I dont see him as Pike, and he’ll just be a distraction, I think. And I just plain dont care for him as an actor….

I was under the impression that Paramount would have nothing more to do with Cruise on account that he’s kind of gone crazy.

I still like Liotta, if he could lower his voice a bit.

I don’t want Star Trek under the influence of the “Super Adventure Club”. It would spoil the movie in my eyes. And: This guy acts like a bad robot and has no charisma.

I don’t mind the idea of Cruise as Pike so much…except that he’s still such a big name star (despite his couch jumping antics) that there’s a good chance he’d completely overshadow the new Kirk.

Maybe that’s the effect Abrams is going for, to portray Kirk as the newcomer who has to prove himself worthy of command, but Cruise still might be too much for the new guy.

I can just imagine young Kirk stepping off the turbolift onto the bridge, looking a bit lost. Cruise/Pike gets up from the command chair and says, “So you’re Kirk, huh?” He then squeezes Kirk’s hand in a bonecrushing grip, with a cocky grin on his face that says, “You pussy!”

Pierce Brosnan as Captain Pike!

Not too keen on the idea of Cruise as Pike. Not seeing it at all…

However, I’m all for exposing Tom Cruise to delta radiation and relegating him to a beeping chair for the rest of his life.

hahahaha, and once again I turn to the chronology by Michael and Denise Okuda…

According to the Star Trek chronology…

2263-

James Kirk is promoted to captain of the Starship Enterprise and meets Christopher Pike (for the first time), who is promoted to fleet captain.

2264-

Captain James Kirk, in command of the U.S.S. Enterprise, embarks on a historic five year mission of exploration.

According to this the first time Kirk will meet Pike is when Kirk first gets promoted to captain of the Enterprise. hmmmm, this actually might make sense for once.

::thumbs up::

I refuse to become involved in casting discussions until they are finalized and set in stone. Rumors are just plains attrocious. They get everyone fired up and people can tend to get very errr ummm edgy… when they are fired up. Now give me real facts and I fire up on all cylinders if its good enough.

Aaron R.

I only want Tom Cruise in it if he gets to do a scene on the bridge of the Enterprise running back and forth in his underwear to the tune of Old Time Rock & Roll by Bob Seeger.

I’d rather not have big names in small parts. It will be really distracting and will draw too much attention to otherwise minor roles (subverting the writers’ original intent).
If they want a big name in a substantial part (like the villain), then it’s fine by me.

Eh, Cruise could be OK, but it’s hard for me to see it. If you have to go with a big star cameo, George Clooney is the best idea I’ve heard — he doesn’t *not* look like Pike, and he could certainly play the role well. Liotta looks a lot like Pike, but that’s not absolutely crucial for me.

As for Pike’s age, he should be at least 10 years older than Kirk — “The Cage” was 11.5 years before TOS Season 1, so he should be at least mid-40s, and 50ish wouldn’t be out of line. Of course, they do seem to be casting young for this one….

It would be awesome to see Tom Hanks as a Starfleet captain, but again I don’t think he’s the best fit for Pike.

I don’t really see Cruise playing Pike, but I don’t think it would be a horrible thing if he got the part. Cruise is a good actor, and it is only a cameo. That said, I’m worried that, if he is given the role, his appearance would throw off the whole film – people would be too focused on the actor rather than the character. If he is in the film, it needs to be handled to where that doesn’t happen.

Personally, though, I’d rather not have people that famous in any role in the film.

In all seriousness, now, I think big names in small roles can lend weight to a film – IF! – the roles are not merely perfunctory vehicles for showing off a big name.

Some other positive examples – Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, and Michael Gambon as Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and others in the series. In terms of screen time, they are small parts, and only the kids’ roles (necessarily originally played by virtual unknowns) are major, but the characters themselves are integral to the story.

Another positive example – Dame Judi Dench in the recent James Bond movies. Again, in terms of screen time, she only had a few minutes in any of them, but an actress of her caliber really brings credibility to the supporting role of M.

An example of what to avoid – Gary Oldman, William Hurt, and Heather Graham in Lost in Space. That film is one of the prime examples of a horrendous reboot. These were major actors in major roles, and yet the atrocious story made their acting skills irrelevant.

We all might be praying for Berman to come back after we see this ‘Hollywoodized’ Star Trek film.

Take Ray Liotta as Pike. He looks almost exactly like him!

You’re putting Tom Cruise in the league of Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Jude Dench, etc?

If those actors are heavyweights, it’s because of their acting ability. Tom Cruise is a “heavy weight” because he is a pretty boy that makes blockbuster films, a great deal of his popularity is because of the notoriety and public nature of his private life.

Ralph Fiennes can easily disappear into Voldemort, but whoever Tom Cruise plays, he will always be TOM CRUISE. He’s gotten to that point that you can no longer separate him from his characters. Not only that, it’s just my opinion that his acting ability will never reach even a tenth of any of those English actors you mentioned.

And if you put him in this Star Trek movie, people are NOT going to see his character, but they will see Tom Cruise and his crazy shenanigans. I admit, it’s going to pull in more viewers, and put Star Trek into A-List territory (if JJ Abram’s connection hasn’t already), but I fear it will be ultimately more damaging to the film itself and the story it will try to tell.