Before the new Star Trek movie opens next Christmas you will have the chance to see many of the film’s stars on the big screen in other projects. TrekMovie.com has compiled information on those upcoming films.
This first part (of two) focuses on the actors who are playing the core Enterprise crew members from the original series. In a week we will cover all the guest stars.
John Cho (Hikaru Sulu)
The Air I Breathe (limited release January 25th)
Cho has a small part in this indie film telling four overlapping stories which dramatize the four cornerstones of life (according to an Asian proverb): happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. See the official MySpace page for more info.
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (April 25th)
Cho’s (other) big movie of the year is the reteaming with Kal Penn in their famous roles of Harold Lee and Kumar Patel, respectively, for Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, the anticipated sequel to the popular 2004 comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. As the title suggests, Harold and Kumar, well… escape from Guantanamo Bay. It appears the druggie duo have been mistaken for terrorists after they try to sneak a bong on a flight to Amsterdam and now they’re on the run from the authorities. Hilarity ensues, I’m sure. For more details, see the film’s official site.
Simon Pegg (Montgomery Scott)
Run, Fatboy, Run (March 28th)
In this comedy, Pegg (who co-wrote the screenplay) plays a chubby guy who has to run a marathon in order to win back the woman he left at the altar five years earlier… while she was pregnant. See the official site for more details.
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (UK: October 3rd, US: TBA 2008)
Pegg co-stars with Spider-Man‘s Kirsten Dunst (who appeared in the TNG episode "Dark Page") in this comedy about a British writer (Pegg)
who endures a five-year struggle to fit in at a high-profile magazine
publication in New York.
Chris Pine (James T. Kirk)
Bottle Shock
(debuts at the Sundance Film Festival
January 18th)
This drama tells the true story of the Chateau Montelena winery in California and how they beat the French in the "Judgment of Paris" wine-tasting competition of 1976. Pine plays Bo Barrett, one of the owners of Chateau Montelena.
Carriers (TBA 2008)
Little is known about this horror/thriller except that it involves four friends
who attempt to escape a viral pandemic, only to find that they pose a greater
threat. It also apparently involves werewolves. There is no information on
Pine’s role in the movie, though he is likely one of the four friends.
Small Town Saturday Night (TBA 2008)
This film examines a day in the lives of several small town residents, including
Pine’s character, a country singer who must choose between his dream and the
woman he loves.
Zoe Saldana (Nyota Uhura)
Vantage Point (February 22nd)
This film shows the attempted assassination of a US president (played by William Hurt) from the point-of-view of eight different people. Saldana plays the news reporter who announces the assassination attempt. Star Trek: Voyager guest actor Bruce McGill (Braxton in "Relativity") is also among the film’s co-stars. See the official site for more details.
After Sex (TBA 2008)
A dramatic comedy "that uses sex as a background to examine intimacy and vulnerability." If the poster image is to be believed, Saldana plays a woman who has a romantic relationship with the character played by Mila Kunis (the voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy). See the official MySpace page for more.
BlacKout (TBA 2008)
This drama details events in a Brooklyn neighborhood during the New York blackout that occurred back in 2003. This film co-stars Saul Rubinek, who played Kivas Fajo in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s "The Most Toys." See the official site for more details.
The Skeptic (TBA 2008)
A psychological thriller called , about a lawyer (Tim Daly) who moves into his late aunt’s house, refusing to believe the place is haunted. Saldana plays Cassie, a psychic who helps Mr. Skepticism search for the house’s bad secrets.
Karl Urban (Leonard McCoy)
Black Water Transit (TBA 2008)
An action-thriller in which Urban plays Earl Pike, a former army colonel who wants to get his family’s illegal gun collection shipped overseas and into the hands of Iraqi freedom fighters and revolutionaries. To accomplish this, he contacts Jack Vermillion (played by Laurence Fishburne), the owner of a shipping company. Hoping to get his ex-druggie son’s ten-year prison sentence reduced, Vermillion rats out Pike — only to find himself on the run from both Pike on the police. Playing Jack Vermillion’s father is Bill Cobbs, who portrayed Emory Erickson in the Star Trek: Enterprise fourth season episode "Daedalus."
Anton Yelchin (Pavel Chekov)
Charlie Bartlett (February 22nd)
Yelchin has already been garnering praise for his performance in the title role of this dark comedy in which he portrays a rich teenager who becomes the resident "psychiatrist" at his high school, finding love and self-acceptance along the way (awwww!). You can find out more at the film’s official site.
Middle of Nowhere (TBA 2008)
Yelchin plays Dorian Spitz, a kid who teams up with a rebellious girl (played by Eva Amurri) to sell pot in a small town and raise enough money to get the girl into college. Co-starring as the girl’s money-wasting mother is Amurri’s real-life mother, Susan Sarandon. See IMDb for more.
Finding t.A.T.u. (You and I) (May 2008)
Yelchin plays a Russian kid named Edvard in this story about an American girl who hooks up with a Russian girl at a t.A.T.u. concert. Based on a book by Russian politician Aleksey Mitrofanov. See IMDb for more.
great job!!!
I wasn’t really looking forward to any of these before, but knowing who’s in it I’ll probably end up seeing some of them. If only to get to know these actors a little better before Christmas.
I’d totally forgotten about Dunst being in that episode!
I am looking forward to Harold and Kumar Escape… and Charlie Bartlett.
Speaking of good movies, I have a question for Mr. Bailey…..
I just watched The Illusionist starring Edward Norton on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it. It almost reminded me of how good Hollywood could be at making films…..back in it’s prime.
I respect your opinion and wondered what you thought of that particular movie?
This proves working on Star Trek is one of the best career moves an actor could make. Trekkies are so loyal that we will not only see the Star Trek movies these actors appear in, but also all the other movies they appear in as well.
I’m not the only one who has suffered through Moontrap only because Walter Koenig is in it. OR am I?
So, you’re the ONE who saw Moontrap?! Koenig owes you a dinner! :)
LoL. Hey, I saw Moontrap too! Didn’t that co-star Bruce Campbell?
I hadn’t thought about that (The good career move that is). If I know one of my favorite trek actors is in the movie, I am more likely to see it, then I might. So it’s true. for instance. I am a fan of Conspiracy theory part becuase it’s a good movie, part becuase it’s got Mel Gibson, and part because I love seeing Patrick Stewart as the bad guy. Patrick could have been a huge hollywood actor, he is fantastic. It’s just too bad that nobody grabbed him. Or maybe he never wanted to be grabbed. I can understand and respect that.
I’m another one who saw Moontrap. It’s been a long, long time since I saw it, but I don’t remember it being all that bad. I mean, it wasn’t great by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve suffered far worse. What I remember most was the intriguing sound design. The filmmakers opted to use the correct “no sound in space” option, so when Koenig and Campbell are fending off an alien attack on the moon, their automatic weapons don’t make any noise. You can only hear them screaming at each other over the intercoms in their suits. It really lent a chilling quality to those scenes.
Anyway, as far as I’m concerned, Bruce Campbell automatically elevates any film he appears in. Even the worst movie is made made better by his presence, so Moontrap can’t be all bad…can it?
wow…can’t wait
I panicked when I first read this article’s heading, I thought it said “New Star Trek 2008 Movie Preview!” A tad confusing!!!!
I’d be careful with employing the words ‘new’, ‘Trek’, and ‘stars’ in the same breath.
re:13. Iowagirl
True.
And quit using first names with the characters who did not have first names in the series. There was maybe one episode where Chekov had a first name, but it was not ever used by any crew members, just that Ireenee Gulyeekadookin or whatever her name was.
I wanna slap people who think those secondary characters need first names. Even McCoy was rarely referred to by first name.
In protest, I am removing MY first name until further notice.
Good for you, Stanky!
Well, we’re half-way there! :)
has anybody noticed that First posters that don’t shout First at the top of their keyboards often only post very short comments! Its pretty much like saying First, as the desire to get there first is obvious by the lack of a decent comment!
#5
C’mon, Harry, why ask Dennis Bailey ANYTHING?
Your question will only inflate his already Galaxy Class-sized ego.
\S/
Okay, Superman, I’ll bite…..what did YOU think of The Illusionist? :)
14. Lt. McFibberich – January 7, 2008
“In protest, I am removing MY first name until further notice.”
Now if we can just remove your comments as well…
;-)
Xai,
I thought my comment #15 made the same point with just a bit more finesse……..I guess it was too subtle! :)
Some interesting ones in this list, the Pegg/Dunst one sounds funny. I’ll be checking out Comanche Moon as well, it looks pretty good.
Hey Harry,
I haven’t had a chance to see The Illusionist yet.
However, I really enjoyed The Prestige.
\S/
re: Ballz and Xai
Nice guys.
Stanky, you know we only tease the people we really like….and, yes, you’re in that group! :)
Hey Superman,
If you enjoyed The Prestige, I’m confident that you’ll LOVE The Illusionist!
20. Harry Ballz – January 7, 2008
I think we likely were typing at the same time.
…………………………………………………………….
23. Lt Stanktono P. McFibberich III
Read #24
You forgot some. Rachel Nichols is currently in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (a good film), Eric Bana is in “The Other Boelyn Girl” playing King Henry VIII (that premiers in Feb! It looks REALLY good!), Karl Urban’s in “Comanche Moon” (which premiers on tv Jan 13th)….
#27 Dierna — As it says at the beginning of the report, the movie’s guest stars (Bana, Nichols, Ryder, Cross, Morrison, etc.) will be covered in part two. Also, Comanche Moon is a TV mini-series, not a movie.
#25 Harry Ballz — I like The Illusionist, but The Prestige was 10x better, IMO. I can watch that one over and over again. The Illusionist, not so much.
Charles,
now, you see, that’s the funny part……..I feel exactly the same way about The Illusionist being 10x better than The Prestige….to each their own!!
Thanks, Harry, I’ll give “The Illusionist” a try.
Speaking of films that our new Trek crew have already appeared in, has anyone seen “Smokin’ Aces?”
How was Chris Pine in that? Is it worth renting to check out his performance?
\S/
Yo, Superman. Smokin’ Aces sucked big time don’t rent it! But don’t freak out, Chris Pine was probably the only good part of the movie (he was quite funny) but be that as it may, the movie sucks.