You can really feel the buzz for the new Star Trek movie building. Today we have a look at how some big media outfits are taking a new look at Trek. Plus there is more box office buzz, more interviews, more international posters, and just more more. Check it all out in this less than two week to go Tidbits.
Reminder: Tickets available online (including IMAX)
As we will begin every tidbits, we remind you that you can now buy advanced tickets (including early shows) for Star Trek at Fandango. You can also get tickets for IMAX at Fandango.
Star Trek back on the radar of the MSM
The new Star Trek movie has brought the attention of the mainstream media in a way we haven’t seen in a long time (possibly ever). Newspapers, Magazines and TV Networks are already starting to gear up their coverage of the return of Star Trek. For example there is a two page spread in teh current Time Magazine (not available online…yet).
Here are some headlines and excerpts
CNN: Star Trek To boldly go where no prequel has gone before
The hype building around the 11th “Star Trek” film suggests that it could turn into a movie event to rival last year’s Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” and introduce “Star Trek” to a legion of new fans.
Wall Street Journal: Hollywood Stars Over – From Star Trek to X-Men, Hollywood is betting on prequels for summer blockbuster season
The team behind the roughly $130-$150 million Paramount movie wanted to give “Star Trek” a new twist while avoiding the mistakes of other prequels, whose storylines can seem predictable as they head towards conclusions that previous movies have already foretold.
Times (UK): Star Trek: stand by – phasers are set to stun again
Even the most ardent fans of Star Trek would concede that the brand had become a cultural joke, consigned to the black hole where exhausted franchises go to die. Yet, by some fiendish reverse engineering worthy of the great Scotty, a revitalised USS Enterprise has reemerged in a blaze of glory and people are falling in love with the series all over again.
New York Times: New Team Retrofits the Old Starship
Mr. Abrams and his partners are guys with mainstream pop-culture aspirations; their forte is taking on genres with finite but dedicated fan bases — science fiction, fantasy and horror — and making them accessible to wider audiences. And what they had in mind for their “Star Trek” movie is a film that is consistent with 43 years of series history but not beholden to it.
Star Trek’s Supreme Court (L-R) Justices Bryan Burk, Damon Lindelof, JJ Abrams, Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci [NY Times]
More Pre-sales news and box office buzz
In yesterday’s Tidbits we had news on online sales indicators looking good for Star Trek, and now Fandango have more details. According to the online sales site, both Wolverine and Star Trek are "seeing brisk advance ticket sales" and both films are already seeing sold out shows across the country. Specificaally right now Star Trek is making up 12% of all Fandango sales, with Wolverine bringing in 10%.
And Brandon Gray, founder of BoxOfficeMojo is predicting that Star Trek will be the number 3 movie of the summer, bringing in $230Million (domestic), with only the new Transformers and Harry Potter films beating it. Add in even low end sales internationally and Paramount would be dancing in the isles.
Nimoy still open to more Trek
Even though he made a special case to come out of retirement for this Star Trek, Leonard Nimoy tells Press Association that he is open to doing more, saying "If JJ Abrams calls me, I answer the phone – I don’t say never any more." If you didn’t have a chance to read it, last July the same topic came up in my interview with Mr. Nimoy, here is what he said:
Oh you should never say never. I don’t have any reason to believe there is going to be more, and then again there is nothing that happens to me in this movie that would prevent me from doing more. It is not like the end of Spock necessarily. So I don’t know, we will see.
Interviews of the day – Bana + lots of Pegg
links and excerpts
Eric Bana (Nero) Daily Telegraph – excerpt:
[I] fell in love with the script in the first 10 to 15 pages. I knew it was going to be a cracker. [Nero] is not the deepest and darkest character. He’s complex enough, but not so complex that I didn’t think kids would enjoy it. There’s enough there for me to inject a bit of humour into him.
Simon Pegg (Scotty) Times (UK) –excerpt:
When the Enterprise guys arrive I’ve not eaten properly for a while and in the script I go through a long list of food I want. I included square sausage. Unfortunately it got cut. But neeps and tatties made it.
Simon Pegg (Scotty) Scotland on Sunday – excerpt
I watched it since I was nine. This was back when there were only seven or so, and it was a widely held controversial geek’s eye view of Star Trek. But that’s not true any more. I just really don’t want Scotland to think I’m making fun of Scotty. And if I get it wrong, I could have blown my chances of being welcomed in Scotland ever again.
Simon Pegg (Scotty) Press Association – excerpt
In Spaced there’s a line where I’m talking about things that are sure in life and one of them is that every odd numbered Star Trek film is s**t. That’s most certainly been disproved by this movie and it’s lovely to go from being a self confessed fan of this kind of stuff and geek to being a part of it.
More foreign posters
Some friend international TrekMovie readers have sent in pictures of Star Trek posters from around the world. Drew sends in a pic of the Thailand poster (taken on a train) and Shmuel from the Isreal Star Trek fan club sent in the official poster in Hebrew (for ‘Trek Between The Stars’).
Star Trek in Israel and Thailand
Kirk’s home town gets early showing of Star Trek
The town of Riverside, Iowa (aka ‘the future home of Capt. Kirk’) is getting a sneak peek of the new Star Trek movie one day early. One May 6th Riverside residents (including those who appeared in the Shatner reality spoof "Invasion Iowa" will see the film at 6PM at the Marcus Sycamore Cinema. Sneak preview tickets (300) will be offered to Riverside residents only – on a first come, first serve basis at The Voyage Home – Riverside History Center. Two tickets will be given away to the public on KZIA 102.9 FM. TrekFest mail list subscribers will have first priority on leftover tickets. Sign up at trekfest.com.
Tivo Alerts – Star Trek TV specials
Over the next couple of weeks there is going to be a lot Star Trek stuff on TV and we will try and keep you apprised. Here are a couple to keep a look out for:
- TVGuide Channel: May 7th – 7pm (6C). ‘Big Hollywood Premiere Star Trek’ – Hour long show with lots of premiere interviews
hour of interviews - bio channel – May 5th: All day long programming of past Star Trek biographies (Shatner, Nimoy, Stewart), plus Anniversary Specials
ST09 Tidbits bits
Even more stuff:
- Playstation Home Avatar Contest
- Diora Baird (plays unnamed Orion in Star Trek) admits "loves Trekkies" in new FHM 100 sexiest women issue (excerpt at NOTW)
PRIMERO!!!
To paraphrase Homer Simpson: “Mmmmmmmmm …… Diora Baird.”
“Even the most ardent fans of Star Trek would concede that the brand had become a cultural joke, consigned to the black hole where exhausted franchises go to die.”
He’s talking about Stargate, not Star Trek, right?
4th
Man I love star trek. Im a kid again at 32!
4th
i wish the foreign posters above had been the US release posters.
This is just getting better and better.
Oh, and a NEW TV SPOT just came on abc during Harry Potter movie. Kind of like the kid’s trailer but modified with some other stuff and does not include “Scotty in the pipes” scene.
So Diora Baird likes Trekkies, eh?
Yeah, somethin’ tells me it’s only in instances where someone like George Clooney or Brad Pitt admits they like STAR TREK.
I’m betting she doesn’t exactly go for the white socks and sandals look…
I guess with Prime Spock hanging around Kirk will (hopefully) not die the way he did in Generations. One plus of having a altered timeline.
This also opens up the possibility of new versions of The Next Gen and DS9 in the future(?)
As Chakotay said: “Everything old is new again!”.
“Hey guys, you have a chance with Baird”
Anthony, your mockery is too cruel. LOL
Tickets purchased and printed here (via Fandango) for the first 7:00 PM showing.
anyone know how to reach Schmuel? I am running a fundraiser in Houston and would LOVE one of the Israeli posters? help??
“I want to Klingon to a Trekkie ”
is the headline and all i gotta say is you can klingon to me anytime, giggedy giggedy, lol!
*sigh*
that’s what testosterone does to you…
as Dennis said:
“Anthony, your mockery is too cruel. LOL”
agreed, lol!
The Hebrew poster reads “Star Trek” spelled out in Hebrew letters. Up until now, Star Trek has been called “Masa Bein HaKochavim,” which means “journey between the stars,” but maybe they figure the words “Star Trek” are so famous they’re better off just sticking with that.
The subtitle says “the future begins” in Hebrew.
Maybe a chance with Stuart Baird.
#10–Fandango isn’t selling tickets for my theater, (or any of the theaters within an hour’s drive, I live in the middle of nowhere in Iowa 45 mi from Riverside). However, movietickets.com is selling tickets for Iowa City theaters, which is an hour away. So if anyone is having problems with Fandango, check out movietickets.
Forget Diora…
Give me Sherry Jackson!!!
Grrrr…
i’m just saying…please…if you get the chance…check out Diora Baird’s playboy spread from about three years ago. She is truly one of the most natural beauties you will lay your eyes upon.
The “Times” link actually goes to the WSJ article. Might wanna fix that.
Anyway…I don’t know if I can sleep now that I know the MSM is giving ST all this attn now.
Geez, think I used enough abbrvs. in there? ;)
Well.. I am happy to hear that Riverside is finaly on the
list. I think it is good marketing to focus on JTK. He is
likely the the most recogniseably si-fi icon.
I just my ticket for May 7th at 7:00 pm. Hope to see you guys at the Century 8 Theaters in North Hollywood!
@Anthony
you may want add for german fans, that there will be a tv special on
6th May on german station Kabel 1 called “Beam Me Up – Die große ‘Star Trek’ Show”
So Spock does not die in this film…
Why is there no spoiler warning?
My burning question is:
Is Anthony the welder’s scene in the movie???!!!
square sausage lol brilliant – I wish that was still in the cut!
hope the poster with Kirk on his motor cycle is not the cover they use for the blu ray
It is too Top Gun for a Trek movie poster.
The best poster is the one which has the Enterprise flying away from the Nerada as this is much more to classic Star Trek movie posters
Nice Supreme Court shot by Kevin Scanlon there…
So would Ms. Baird’s photo layout be called a “Diorama”?
has anyoner seen the trailer in the advert breaks in the uk… all i see is bloody Wolverine.
Come to think of it someone tried to sell me a copy of Wolverine in the pub yesterday
#11 It’s me. I don’t know how can I help you but you can contact me at sloutaty@hotmail.com
Saw a spot a little while ago during the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR race at Talledega. Almost missed it – it was pretty cool to see, though. They also did a spot for “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Terminator: Salvation.” Getting an early jump on summer, it appears.
Here are some more pictures of our lovely Orion slave girl
http://samuraifrog.blogspot.com/2007/04/never-enough-diora-baird.html
Cast and crew will be hitting the talk show circuit next few weeks to promote the film. I’m sure Anthony will have all the interviews here but here’s a list of lineups for the next 2 weeks. Starts tomorrow (April 27) with Shatner on Hunt and Bana on Leno. Set PVR’s to stun!
http://www.interbridge.com/lineupsdate.html
Scotty strikes me as a man who could wash some cullen skink down with a couple pints of scotch ale.
“Paramount would be dancing in the isles.”
The British Isles? I guess that makes sense if the UK box office is a big success.
Pffft. Baird is like Edward Cullen for dudes. (‘Cept she ain’t fictional.)
Anyways, cool interviews. :D I like!