Damon Lindelof & Zachary Quinto Respond To Star Trek Sequel Rumor Reports + Potential Weller Role Detail

Yesterday was a big news day for the new Star Trek sequel. Today we have some follow-up reports, including Zachary Quinto and co-writer/producer Damon Lindelof’s reactions to rumors about the Star Trek villain. Check those out below, along with a new possible tidbit about the role Peter Weller will be playing.  Potential spoilers below.

 

 

Lindelof and Quinto respond to Khan reports

For the last few weeks there has been a lot of speculation of how Khan will be the villain in the Star Trek sequel. There has also been a couple of media outlets reporting this, including Vulture yesterday. This prompted Star Trek sequel co-writer/producer Damon Lindelof to take to Twitter with the following (a seeming homage to a famous Star Trek scream):

And in a newly released video (shot last week) MTV spoke to the new Spock Zachary Quinto who confirmed he hadn’t seen the script and he said he could neither "confirm nor deny" anything about Khan. Watch it:

Regardless of the lack of confirmations, the potential Khan news has been big news across the world with some sites moving on to suggesting possible candidates for the role and even the mainstream media asking if it is time for Khan to be brought back. One thing is for sure, the Star Trek buzz machine is once again getting into gear, and the movie doesn’t come out until May 2013.

More on Peter Weller’s casting – a CEO?

Also there is some more on the casting of Peter Weller, which made big news yesterday across the web, with many new sources running with "Robocop To Star Trek" type headlines. With the Weller casting news coming on the same day as news that Benicio Del Toro dropped out of talks for the main villain, some have wondered if Weller stepped into the same role. However, indications are that Weller was tapped for that previously reported third major role (following the villain and the new female role being played by Alice Eve). There was also a quote given to EW about the role from Weller’s agent, saying:

Of course J.J. Abrams is very tight-lipped about his projects, but I do know that it’s a substantial role and that Peter is playing a C.E.O.

 

Stay tuned to TrekMovie for more Star Trek sequel news.

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FIRST! I’ve got nothing… A CEO in the 23rd Century. EPIC FAIL for Occupy protesters

I’m betting that he is the C.E.O. of a company involved in eugenics.

So it’s true?

Occupy The Enterprise!!

I will say this, if it IS Khan, I will be VERY disappointed with Abrams, Orci & crew… to go to the trouble of reinventing the entire Trek Universe, creating an alternate timeline, only to return to Khan demonstrates a distinct lack of creativity and original thinking. You have such a clean slate, use it to create something NEW in Trekdom….

I already hated the fact that the 2009 movie had money in it and now the sequel is gonna have a (likely a douche bag) CEO?

Didn’t he play some sort of 22nd century CEO wackjob in the penultimate episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise?

Lindelof said months ago: no khan, no borg, no time travel.

“Terra Prime, forever!” Holy crap, he WAS right!

CEO? Not in my futuristic, humanistic, socialist utopia.

I think Weller’s agent is a moron and that the role is probably one of a senior officer in Starfleet.

The agent didn’t know which letters to cite for a military designation, thus the “CEO” comment. People are stupid in Hollywood, and yet they still collect their percentage. Sad.

CEO???

Don’t like the sound of that.

@10

As in XO or CO?

Oh well. There goes my theory that Weller reprises his role as Paxton from Enterprise’s “Terra Prime” and gets out of prison to defrost Khan. Hey, he’s the fascist superhuman that can kick all the aliens off Earth.

CEO? Hmmm. I agree that there are companies in the twenty third century, but if I recall my Star Trek, they don’t use money. See “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” So, what would Weller’s motivations be? Hey how about this. Weller is the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and decides to run for President of the Federation.

@14 The Ferengi Commerce Association approves.

Sucks to be ZQ if they are remaking Wrath of Khan. Spock dies at the end of the movie.

Weller is playing Dick Jones in this one.
OCP is back, baby!

Weller will be the CEO of the Federation; as in, the President.

Chief Engineering Officer??

Just sayin’

There is absolutely no lack of creativity in the writers and producers going after Khan in this new timeline. In fact, knowing how many people would balk at the idea and STILL doing a Khan story takes some balls. They could just go Klingons, Romulans, even Borg – but none of those are as risky as a re-telling of the Khan story. This is a bold choice, even if a lot of fans don’t see it that way.

A core concept in all Trek incarnations has been exploration, not just of strange new worlds, but also of a person’s choices and the consequences that result.

Khan forced Kirk and crew to make choices that resulted in serious consequences. From Kirk’s decision to wake the Botany Bay crew and then maroon them to Ceti Alpha 5, to Spock’s choice to sacrifice his own life to save the crew in Wrath. Why is it not creative to take a look at how this alternate timeline crew would respond to the Khan threat – and to see what choices they would make?

There are a million different and creative ways to introduce Khan in this new timeline – and I for one am very interested to see how they do it. If they don’t succeed, I still give the producers lots of credit for making the choice to tell the story at all.

I still predict the reintroduction of Khan late in the story – setting up the third film. And, I suspect it’s not the Enterprise discovering the wayward sleeper ship in this timeline.

Oh the creative possibilities.

Interesting that the quote from Weller’s agent says C.E.O. — with periods after each letter, rather than the standard acronym for CEO (with no periods) for Corporate Executive Office. Their could perhaps be a different meaning here of that term given the use of the periods…probably not, but I am not taking anything at face value given the trickery and coded message from Orci and others over the last few years.

I thought CEO just means Chief Executive Officer, as in CEO of a SOE.

We have them here in NZ – Chief Executive Officer of a State Owned Enterprise, like one of our power companies. Who knows. There just might be a tiny glimmer of hope that perhaps the writers looked outside the confines of the USA to see how things might be done (differently?) in other parts of the world. Just saying…

Zachary Quinto is saying a whole lot of nothing and Damon Lindelof is just “taking the piss”, as in having all us fans on, especially the Khan fanboys.

@11 “I think Weller’s agent is a moron and that the role is probably one of a senior officer in Starfleet.”

Yea, or Federation President as someone else had mentioned. He’d make an interesting Commodore Decker as well.

@22 “Who knows. There just might be a tiny glimmer of hope that perhaps the writers looked outside the confines of the USA to see how things might be done (differently?) in other parts of the world. Just saying…”

Or outside of the British Empire and its former holdinds? :-))

We don’t need the Brits or anybody else to tell us what to do or hold our hands.

We figured that out about 250 years ago.

CEO? I’ll bet it’s COMMODORE.

Buckaroo Bonzai…Ohhh My! (That’s my best George Takei imitation in text form). I love Peter Weller and really think his acting gets unfairly overlooked. He’s very natural and yet brings weight to whatever he does. I don’t care if he’s Admiral Frumpity Frump from Omicron 9 or C.E.O. Donald Frump of Dilithium Industries, I bet he’ll be great.

Del Toro’s reps say it was money…but I like to think he went in for a meeting and it went like this:

Del Toro: “So I hear you’re looking for the next Khan. I’m in. I think I can bring some humanity to him. Make him something beyond a heavy. He’s bred to lead but has a heart to go along with the mind. I’m dialed in on him and I ain’t even seen the script. Anything to put the whole werewolf thing behind me and get my face back on screen for the bulk of a film.”

J.J. : “Um…yeah…the thing is..we’re looking at you to be the Horta. It’s like a sausage pizza ball..but it has a heart, too.”

Del Toro: “What the f*#& is a Horta?”

Lindelof never said “No Khan.” He just said “No Borg.” He didn’t confirm or deny Khan, that is all.

Perhaps he is playing Matt Decker.

Wouldn’t it be fun to have the Doomsday Machine and Khan involved in some great Trek story for the next movie!

If Khan is not in it then it is not cool to let the rumors go on.

The idea of Khan as next villain is not some cute banter between fans, the idea of that character being in the next trek is pissing most of us off.

If Khan is not in the next movie, which most of us hope he is not then please stop bs and spit it out.

For those paying attention, we already know Khan is in the film. Next topic….

Paramount Memo:

Weller will be the EVIL CEO, cause money is evil ya know? And Del Toro was going to be the EVIL guy thats poisoning some distant jungle (Hawaii) and the GOOD guys have to defeat him and bring down the EVIL corporation… Its timely and the kids will love it… and in 3D!

blah blah blah I hate Khan blah blah blah i will be disappointed in Abrams blah blah blah i will never watch star trek again blah blah

get over it.

What ever role Weller is playing I’m sure it will be as good as the 2009 movie. I like Weller as an actor and JJ has yet to fail to impress me. I WILL HOWEVER keep in mind that this is a WHOLE NEW Star Trek when I watch this movie I will have no preconceived notions that it follows the OLD Star Trek Time Line.
As a TRUE Star Trek fan I would like to say that I LOVE all the new stuff they have brought in so far and I LOVE ALL THE OLD STUFF TOO.
I will not let any past episode or movie let me make any decisions on how this new movie should be or shouldn’t be.

I do however hope they stay with the current timeline and follow it from the new beginning. I hear that this movie will “Stand on it’s own” and all but I hope they add on to this timeline correctly.

If the producers wanted their movies to stand on their own, they would have started their own franchise. Using name recognition to get people to go see their movies isn’t truly “standing on their own”.

#26 NZ was discovered by *Captain James Cook in 1796, only about 216 years ago. Your point being?

* Actually I thought that the character of Captain James Kirk was inspired by the real life Captain James Cook, an explorer who went further than any man of his day and probably of any time. Many of his maps are still used today, such is their accuracy. It’s sort of disappointing really that Kirk was just a knock-off a some fictional Horatio Hornblower character. Whoopdeedoo.

#36 Don’t be a troll.

38. The truth hurts, doesn’t it?

@39 The truth that you are troll – yes that must bother you.

What truth? All you are doing is twisting the idea of this movie being a “stand on its own” one.

I understood the comment to mean that the movie has a beginning, middle and end and does not end on a cliffhanger, where a person needs to see the next movie to know how it all ends. I agree that the movie should “stand on its own”. The following movie should be the same as well. That does not mean that certain characters cannot be seen again or that certain themes cannot be revisited in any follow on movie though.

@37 “Actually I thought that the character of Captain James Kirk was inspired by the real life Captain James Cook, an explorer who…”

Thanks for the history lecture, Mr. Chekov. :-)

Seriously, you aren’t that far off. Kirk was inspired by the character of Horatio Hornblower (C.S. Forrester novels), who in turn was inspired by the career of the great Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson of Trafalgar and other naval fame during the period of Napoleonic Wars.

@41. Keachick, I was responding to Bitter Trekkie (and agreeing with you that he is a troll). Not sure why you are upset with me again here???

I’m a troll because I have a different a different opinion then you?
Not very IDIC-y of you :)

And no the producers are still not standing on their own.

And now the obligatory year of interviews with the cast all saying one thing… “This movie is going to rock… I am sooo excited”

WE WANT SPOILERS DAMN IT!!!

ORRRR…. a 6 minute prolougue ala Dark Knight Rises….

Make it so…

CEO Weller breeding new Vulcans after the cataclysm. (?)

@44 gee, could it just possible be that since you yourself label yourself “Bitter Trekkie” and say bitter things about Trek here on these boards that people will determine that you are a troll? Could that possibly be a logical conclusion? LOL

Go away troll — you’re not fooling us anymore:

Hail, hail, fire and snow
Call the angel, we will go
Far away, for to see
Friendly Angel come to me!

I find it interesting/curious/coincidental(?) that they have cast Peter Weller that the rumour machine tells us will play a CEO. He does not have to be head of a private company, as we know them today. However, he could be the head of a Federation/Starfleet organization tasked with seeking out resources like dilithium crystals, mining operations, refining, processing and distribution etc.

In my own story (first written between August and October 2009), a rogue Starfleet Admiral or CEO or some other bigwig type actually sets up the Klingons to take the fall if their secret mining of precious metals on the least populated part of Menosia is found out…

Bob Orci – I know Anthony Pascale will know how you can contact me. No imposters.

#43 I was not upset with you, MJ. I only saw your post AFTER I had written and posted my comment #41. I was responding to Bitter Trekkie’s comment – “38. The truth hurts, doesn’t it?”