As reported in our recent CelebWatch, on Thursday JJ Abrams attended the US-Ireland Alliance pre-Oscar party that honored Trek alum Colm Meaney. ReelzChannel interviewed the director and got him to talk about the new Star Trek movie. Abrams said they were using the rainy weather to their advantage and also spoke about the release date change and possibly using Meaney in a sequel. VIDEO below.
Specifically on the release change from Christmas 2008 to May 2009 Abrams stated:
It was not something I did, it was something I was told was going to happen. Actually I am thrilled the studio feels the way they do after seeing the dailies. I loved our original date of Christmas, but I think this date gives the film an even bigger opportunity for an audience.
Colm Meaney in Abrams Star Trek 2?
Regarding Colm Meaney appearing in Star Trek, Abrams said
Probably not this one, but huge fan. I am open to anything. Next time maybe?
The wait will be fine and everyone will be happy.
Meany rules. JJ seems nice.
Hey, who was that guy who walked behind Abrams (approx 1:04)? He looked like The Shat!
Maybe the second one will be a DS9 movie? That’d be cool!
Colm Meaney rules! But he can’t be in Star Trek XII
colm meaney is ace! they had the premiere of the englishman who went up a hill at my local cinema and all the cast was there including hugh grant! what they didnt know was the local trek group had hired one of the screens so when they had an intermission and saw colm meaney obviously they all freaked and surrounded him! hugh grant was apparentley livid cos he got all the attention allnight!!! hahahaha
cant wait to see him in the remake of life on mars too!
#6: Why not? He’s a good actor.
(Or is this one of those deals where fans would get upset if he were to play a different character than the one he’s known for)?
-Colm meaney rules
I really enjoy JJ.
I like the way he conducts himself, he’s articulate, knows what he wants and what he’s doing.
I don’t give much credence to Colm being in the next movie however. His face is known to us. He’d have to be a non-human character and I can’t see it happening. IMO
I do like Colm…. a fine actor
#45 I wouldn’t not find it cool… I don’t know, but I was kind of expecting the sequels to be linear, not jumping from 2260 (in XI) to 2380 (in XII), and back to 2260 (in XIII).
Besides, the actors in Star Trek XI seem to say that they were signed on for two or three other movies, so no DS9, it would seem. I personally would be very pleased if it went that way.
BUT… I do love Colm Meaney. Chief O’Brien was my favorite character from DS9 (in fact, he was probably the only character I cared for in DS9…), so I would love to see him again, either playing one of O’Brien’s ancestors, or a Miles O’Brien lost in time. That would be nice.
Sorry for those DS9 lovers out there. I respect that you loved the show, but not everybody can make that claim ;-)
Hum… my previous comment was aimed at #4… not #45. Sorry :-)
I don’t think anyone should have expected that moving the release date to May was JJ’s idea. That is not a director’s call. It’s also not surprising that he is pleased, given that May is a prized release date. Any director would be pleased that the studio has such faith in his work.
Now all we have to do is wait. Just wait….
Maybe there’ll be another, who knows?
If he can pull off making a good version of the The Dark Tower then he will be in a league of his own.
The first time I saw Meaney was in his O’Brien role on TNG. Not to long after that I was in the theater watching Bruce Willis’ “Die Hard 2” and Meaney was a pilot on the first aircraft that crashed in the movie.
What was so astounding to me about the DH2 sequence was this hot brunette chick sitting in front of me, whispered to her date, “Isn’t that one of the guys from Star Trek?” SHE KNEW! But HE shrugged his shoulders. . . .
Certainly not the demographics most people associate with Trek!
#16–Be careful. There are quite a few females here who might take offense to that.
13.
Yup.
It really is good news, even though we hate the idea of having to wait so much longer.
#4:
Yeah, doood, they should totally do a DS9 movie!
Nothing like scrapping a Trek refresh with big budget appeal for another re-hash a la Nemesis to drive everyone besides The Majestic Kingdom of Nerd away from Trek again.
For good.
Yeah Abrams doesn’t sound too broken up about the delay and why should he, it gives him more time to tweek the film and get it the way he wants it.Time to start crossing off the days on the Calendar till May of 09.
That sounded so much less snide in my head before I posted it.
Of course a DS9 feature would be cool. I would love it, it’s just not practical (or profitable). I don’t know which Rule of Acquisition that is, so maybe I’m just not a big enough fan to see the potential.
I think it will be a loooong-o time before wee-a sees a ST movie of anything ofher than based on TOS now.
#18—(Bob Orci)
Thanks for taking some time for us today, Bob. Now, would it be too much to ask if your script uses the term “away team”, as opposed to “landing party”? I don’t know if you saw what kind of fervor that issue caused on this site in the last couple of days.
Did Anton just make a mistake, or is that term actually used in the script? If so, why? Is it just your homage to TNG and ENT, or is it your interpretation that both terms could have been interchangable in the TOS-era, despite the TOS crew’s consistent use of “landing party”?
I don’t mean to put you on the spot, but…who am I kidding? Yes I do!
#22 – OH Come ON! Just think of all the adventure we never saw with the Voyager crew!!!
I have a personal history of seeing each and every Star Trek movie on it’s day of opening. Haven’t missed a one yet. . . . But I’m afraid a Voyager movie is one I’ll just have to miss!
As for a DS9, (no dis to Kirk) but I have always thought if I would want to work under any of the Star Trek captains or commanders, I’d choose Sisko.
As for May 8th, 2009 unless I’m dead, I’ll be in line (grumping about having to wait 6 1/2 years to see a new Trek movie, about the same amount of time it took the show to go from TOS to TAS to TMP!) My rant and grumpings are over for now. . . :)
#18 Bob, nice to see you back. Been reading your comments on another website about Transformers 2. I was wondering when you would make your way over here. Another Movie I can not wait to see next year!
-DS – 9 is great..but i don’t think that we will see a jem’ hadar..or a cardassian or maybe a Dominion ship again.. the vulcans rules now..
#11 “or a Miles O’Brien lost in time.”
Yeah, a Star Trek version of Life on Mars where O’Brien is in the 24th century in a coma but awakes in the 23rd century and has to adjust to how things were done in the old days.
;-)
#24–“As for a DS9, (no dis to Kirk) but I have always thought if I would want to work under any of the Star Trek captains or commanders, I’d choose Sisko.”
Although James T. Kirk is, without a doubt, the coolest of all Starfleet captains, I guess working for Sisko would be a lot less hazardous!
I wonder how Dark Tower will affect his future Trek involvement.
As I understand it, way back in 2006 it was paramount’s original hope to have the movie out by summer of 2008, but Abrams wanted more time. So I believe he was responsible for the xmas 08 date, and now Paramount are getting their original wish, which is a summer trek movie…just a year later.
oh and Hi Bob!
…btw anyone remember that drinking game?
I know they shared screentime with the rest … but in my mind, O’Brien and Worf … Meaney and Dorn … are the main protagonists of the entire 24th Century Trek shows.
And Colm Meaney was funny in Con-Air interacting with John Cusack, awesome in Intermission with Colin Farrell, and absolutely awesome in Layer Cake with Daniel Craig.
I’m not much of a Colm Meaney fan…wouldn’t bother me if I never saw him again.
What do they need rain for?
Working with Kirk is not hazardous unless you wear a red shirt. Or a short skirt.
Decloaking . . .
To: Bob Orci
I’d love to see Colm Meaney play ‘the Villian’ in the next TREKmovie you guys do!
Micheal Dorn played his father or grandfather in VI: “The Undiscovered Country.”
Recloaking.
Anthony- Drinking game? More details please, such as, does one take a shot every time they hear the word “destroy” in The Doomsday Machine, or every time one sees Spock raise an eyebrow in any episode?
Then maybe they should do a DS9 or Voyager DVD movie, a la Stargate: Ark of Truth? It’d probably be hard to get the original cast of either show back together again but maybe a mixture of the two with a few TNG actors thrown into the mix and voila! I think it has potential :-)
Chief O’Brien was one of the few brightspots in the long list of bland, TNG-era characters. Colm Meaney was great. I was glad they put him on DS9. That was definitely the best (character-wise) of the spinoffs, IMO.
If he were to be cast as someone else in potential sequel, it wouldn’t be the first time an actor has been seen in various roles on Trek, so I think it would be nice.
O’Brien to Return in Trek XII cool
Hi Bob Drinking game
http://www.webtender.com/handbook/games/hibob.game
perhaps before your time
#18 Bob – how will the pushback of the premiere affect officially-sanctioned releases of publicity stills, concept art, etc, if at all? Enough people (myself included) have been champing at the bit to get a glimpse of things, beyond the teaser trailer itself – I believe we were also informed that a shot of the Big E was forthcoming in an earlier discussion.
I think it’s almost certain that we’ll return to 24th century at the end of this film if it’s at all possible to include O’Brien in XII
30 btw anyone remember that drinking game?
I remember it well. Used to go to a sports bar and play that back when I was student teaching because Bob Newhart came on right at 5:00.
It’s much more fun when you’re at home. Bob Newhart – one of the great theme songs ever! Love that Suzanne Pleshette. RIP.
Just watched Colm’s wonderfully evil turn as a bad guy in Under Seige the other day. It was a lot of fun watching him go “bad”.
There’s an awful lot I don’t like about TNG and the 24th century spin-offs in general, but Colm Meaney isn’t one of them. Fine actor.
Speaking of drinking – was Abrams drinking the night of this interview? Dig that red nose?
I always thought O’Brien should have been Chief Engineer of 1701-E instead of Geordi. Miles would have shown Scotty far greater respect in “Relics” & unlike Geordi, he got a hot babe without resorting to the holodeck.
#3
Yeah, I thought it looked like Shater walking by too when I watched it!
I meant Shatner, not Shater
Being in the military (USN), I can say that Captain Sisko strikes me as the most believable of all the Captains thus far (I love Picard, but I don’t know any who can spout Shakespeare at the drop of a hat). :-D
Actually, all the captains have their own share of believability so I am not indicating in the above statement that I have a favorite captain (but I do).
Never heard of the Hi Bob drinking game – sounds fun though.
One of the funniest TNG episodes was Miles wedding day with Data running back and forth between Miles and uh, can’t remember her name… Anyway, Data thinks he understands what is going on and actually has no clue why all his friends are reacting the way they are.
What was her name?