Shatner: JJ Doesn’t Know What To Do With Me + Watch Bill’s Live Chat To ISS At 10:30 AM (EST) [UPDATED]

Once again William Shatner is weighing in on his lack of participation in the JJ Abrams Star Trek movies. Bill seems to believe that JJ Abrams doesn’t know what to do with him and he appears dubious about why they never told him about the scene they wrote for him in the 2009 movie. More details below- and in other Shatner news – watch Bill’s live chat to space at 10:30 AM Eastern. [UPDATE: Chat is over – we have recorded version to watch below].

 

Shatner on why he isn’t in Into Darkness and on his Star Trek 2009 scene

There are a couple of new comments from William Shatner regarding Star Trek and the JJ Abrams movies. First up there is a quote from Shatner from when he did a lot of press last month that slipped through the cracks but is worth noting. At the end of an interview about Shatner’s live show at the San Antonio Geek Speak Blog was this off-hand comment…

Oh, and before you ask: Shatner’s not in this year’s “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

“I don’t think that [‘Darkness’ director] J.J. Abrams knows what to do with me,” Shatner says. “Age and change in body shape.”

And there is more. Last night Shatner did an ‘Ask Me Anything’ event on Reddit which covered lots of issues from food to ducks. But one question and answer actually related to Star Trek, and notably it was about the scene written for Shatner for the 2009 Star Trek movie. Shatner seemed somewhat dubious about why he was never actually offered the scene. Here is the exchange.

FKRMunkiBoi
Did your "Favored Nations" clause at Paramount keep JJ Abrams from giving you a cameo in 2009’s Star Trek movie, since he would have been required to pay you the same rate as Leonard Nimoy, and your cameo would have been a short one? (I believe the scene was a holographic version of you as Kirk wishing Spock a Happy Birthday)

williamshatner
That’s what they say they had written. Who knows what the real reason was.
 

Watch: Shatner’s Space Call – 10:30 AM (Eastern)

Last month we reported that William Shatner was tweeting with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield who is on board the International Space Station. Now NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have arranged a special Tweetup (#CSATweetup) with some space enthusiasts along with Shatner and Hadfield. Hadfield is also calling in to the station. The event kicks off at 10:30 Eastern.

UPDATE: Here is a recording of the event…

133 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Sure Shat, JJ knows exactly what to do with you. In your present shape sir, he is ready to offer you the role of Jabba the Hutt in SW E7. Congrats!

Unless they were to incorporate the scene written for ST09 into STID, I don’t see how you could otherwise incorporate Shatner into STID.

Besides, it only would have worked in ST09 because it would have been appropriate for that movie. It just wouldn’t fit in with STID. With Spock Prime being in this uinverse, there could be a vaild use of Nimoy’s character. But not Shatner’s Kirk.

Oops sorry, I should of read the article on this page first.

JJ does know what to with you Will because TOS Kirk is dead

Give the guy a break, He’s 100 years old.

JJ doesn’t know what to do with me.
LOL

Shatner should direct the next movies.

That man has kept the flame burning for us fans over the years, and it pains me how JJ is handling the franchise.

@1 MJ, in keeping with continuity, I thing Shat will be playing Jabba’s grateful widow. :-)

William Shatner could cameo as James Kirk’s grandfather. He doesn’t have to play Prime James Kirk. I thought they could have morphed Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto at the end of Star Trek(2009) in that Pike scene into Shatner and Nimoy getting honored years later to show that Pine and Quinto are playing the same characters.

Just leave him out of it, we don’t need any more time-travelling nonsense

@11
But that would rule out 89% of Star Trek plots.

Shatner again is such an attention-whore.

re-use the alternate kirk ending from generations–the one where he didn’t die. have q or spock(using red matter) travel back to then or the nexus. then age him appropriately. it’s that easy. it’ll it trek canon. digitally fix his weight or have him go on a diet.. or just have him ‘aged’. do whatever. there’s no record of kirk’s death anyway. heck, that might be a big pile of rocks on that planet. kirk could be living off the land.

as for star trek 13.. have jj produce, and have nicholas meyer direct it. or frakes. harve bennet is too old. put picard on screen with data. use the ‘countdown’ comics to make them canonical.

@1 – your disrespect never ceases to amaze me. And you have the gall to call yourself a true fan.

Sorry Bill, but JTK is a human… a dead human. No katras or Nexuses or alternate timelines can change that at this point. You sir, are dead, on Veridian 3. Deal with it. :)

#13 “Shatner again is such an attention-whore.”

Hmm..not unlike our own MJ! lol (see post #1)

The man is a genius and will always land on his feet. Can you think of any other actor who has reinveted himself more than he has? I thought not! That being said, he doesn’t belong in these films, although I loved the idea of the voiceover at the end of the last film. That could’ve worked very well. But that time has passed. Love you, Mr. Shatner!!

It seems to me that in Hollywood pretty much anything could happen i if someone wants it to happen. Unless we’re on the inside, we have no clue what the reasons are for not using Shatner. It’s all speculation. I think it would be cool to see him onscreen again, but it doesn’t look like that will ever happen. As for stuff like Shatner directing — Paramount wouldn’t even let him do a director’s cut of TFF, so why would they let him direct another film?

@ 12. Calastir -“But [eliminating time travel] would rule out 89% of Star Trek plots.”

Maybe we can send Rod Roddenberry and Chris Doohan back to warn their fathers to “fix” that so it’s only about 60% or so…

I’m so desperate to see, one day, even for one moment a cameo or so, William Shatner as James T. Kirk again.

I just can’t believe that while he’s still alive (and live long and prosper to him) and with a good story, or say a good reason, we can’t have this delicate favour to see him one more and final time wearing the uniform.

That would be such a nice move to all Trek and TOS fans all over the world. Definitely would be a tribute to … everything that I love in Star Trek.

This is movie story alright. But this is also much more than that. A momentum.

Please make that happen, with good will (and that includes William Shatner’s one…) everything is possible.

The CBC news channel in Canada is running what is the equivalent of heavy rotation (no pun intended) on this story.

Opening with a title card featuring a slightly sour-looking photograph of Bill Shatner paired with a separate photo of Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield, the anchor threw the story to CBC reporter Michael Serapio, who ran through a series of tweets exchanged between Shatner and Hadfield.

Serapio reported that Shatner began the exchange. Hadfield’s responses included a report that the ISS was in “standard orbit” and that there were signs of life on Planet Earth.

Trek regulars Leonard Nimoy and George Takei also posted related Tweets of their own. Takei said he would have no objection to an away mission as long as he didn’t have wear a red shirt. Serapio helpfully explained the reference.

I think Mr. Shatner is a God amongst men, but he needs to let go.

Prime-Kirk as holograph would have worked great in Star Trek 2009, but its time for Bill to kick back and rest on his laurels.

He did such a stirling job in TOS, he has nothing more to prove…

Shatner has been shafted too many times.

How he never got best actor Oscar for the death of Spok scene in Wrath of Khan I’ll never know.

Dear Shat,
You are great. You are the Kirk. The Captain. Numero Uno. The standard by which all subsequent pretenders have paled in comparison.

But why the hell did you allow your character to be killed off? Especially in such a lame-ass way? It would have never happened had you not agreed to it. So in a movie that even Nimoy knew would suck donkey you killed off your character. An Icon. In a really stoopid way. And in doing so you pretty much blew your chances at any more sequels or reboots. You have only yourself to blame.

However, you are still The Shat. The Man. Captain, my Captain.

Here is what Abrams should do. Cast Shatner as an older Hans Solo in Star Wars.

Or as Hans Solo’s dad.

@26
The Universe would melt if that happened…

I think we need to give Shatner a break. He gets hounded by the press and fans about the new movies all the time, getting asked the same questions over and over again (Are you in the new movie? Why not?) and so he makes an occasional comment. Who wouldn’t? He was a little vocal in 2009 but I think it’s entirely appropriate to direct those questions now to JJ and team.

Man, I love the Shat, but he needs to let it go. You don’t hear Nichelle Nichols complaining that she wasn’t in the new films.

#28

Bob, you summed it up perfectly. The pattern is apparently set. Any interview with Mr. Shatner will include a question about his lack of participation in the latest ST movie and he answers in a diplomatic manner.

This, of course automatically triggers MJ’s tasteless weight jokes which then triggers those who think anyone over the age of 60 should just not be allowed to speak or be seen.

Regards.

I believe that if Star Trek 3 or Trek 13 whatever it is going to be called if it is the last one with the current cast, and if JJ is not going to be associated with Star Trek due to Star Wars, then maybe if Mr. Orci is brought back on board they could put something together with putting the timeline back in line with the prime universe and have Mr. Shatner appear at the end of it. Thus that series of movies ends with the prime universe back and sets us up nicely for a new TV series maybe in 2015 or 2016 with a new enterprise crew set in the future? How about a new generation set like 100 or 200 years after Voyager with the crew of NCC-1701-M or NCC-1701-R. Thus the new show is back in line with the prime universe.

That is just my opinion. If Mr. Orci is on I would like his opinion. I can’t help but look at Days of Futures Past on the new XMEN movie for my belief that this could work.

Oh and if anyone cares I had corn flakes for breakfast : (

A lot of people here can make stupid jokes about WS all they want, about body shape or age but all who do and all who don’t including MR. JJ will someday be old and out of shape but can they be as prolific as WS, as an actor at his age and shape, no they can’t, period, WS is ST for ever Take that!

unless they dig up kirk and bring him back to life somehow, he dead jame t kirk is dead (prime)

to bring him back from the dead would be a full story in itself

28:

Every time Shatner is “hounded by the press,” it is a staged PR moment he probably pays someone to arrange. It’s a non-issue, yet it seems to pop up all too often.

Ok I been trying to be nice about what, but to says hat in Abrams doesn’t know what tomdo with you jus shows how egotistical he really is. First of all. Though his acting and character in TOS was original and great he is t entitled to be in any future projects. He’s had his time. Kinda can’t hold my respect for him if he continues to press for a Abrams trek role. To be completely honestly this is like those situations where someone invites him/herself to hang out. As a 19 yea old guy I still remember lots of events where I have or someone else has done that and it’s not a cool situation For either side

The fanboi in me still wants to see a final cameo of Kirk Prime. They made Jeff Bridges look in his 30’s again…maybe they can pull something off with the Shat.

Dunkin Donuts cawfee and cheese danish for breakfast.

Well everything could be cleared up in a heartbeat if anyone involved who knows would speak up….well, Mr. Orci? Where are you in all this? What do you know?

Let’s face it, TOS is dead. It pains me to say that as a Trek fan from the very beginning. And as the actors who portrayed those beloved characters continue to die off (RIP DeForest Kelley and James Doohan), it’ll be even harder to go back to the past. JJ’s Trek is not TOS … it was never intended to be, never will be, and IMNSHO will never match the popularity of TOS. But it is what it is.

It’s time for all of us, including Mr. Shatner, to let go.

The Enterprise will live on, but let’s stop focusing on fictional space travel and start focusing on getting out there for real. If “the human adventure is just beginning,” it’s high time we got going.

@ 28. Spot on.

Context is lost when you only hear what he said.

@34. I’ll give you a life tip.

Never put your speculation across with an authority as if it were fact.

Well sucks to be in the unpopular group, but I’d love to see Mr. Shatner as Kirk again.

@pilotfred like the name brother

I am with you, Derek.
I have no idea how to do it, but would love to find a way.
It would be nice even to have him do the voiceover for “Space, the final frontier…”

20

“Maybe we can send Rod Roddenberry and Chris Doohan back to warn their fathers to “fix” that so it’s only about 60% or so…”

I’ll get to work on that.

Could always film the originally intended scene now and add it as an easter egg in the credits… maybe Kirk finally opens the package Old Spock slipped to him in ST09? It would have to fit with the third movie obviously, but just a thought.

Shatner was in Generations, Nimoy was in Star Trek (2009). Seems like a fair trade off, and I think Trek is really at the point where no more cameos of actors (be they from TOS, TNG, or otherwise) are necessary.

@44. Amen.

I know it’s hard for some people to change, but it’s time to cut the apron strings between original cast and new cast. Let the new cast do its thing. Let Mr. Abrams, Mr. Orci, et al., do theirs. Trek will never grow and develop if it’s constantly in the shadow of the original.

If “the human adventure” is “just beginning,” then let’s get on with it!

I think they should have let Kirk live at the end of Generations and let him beam up to that rescue ship Picard and Riker were going to. Kirk could have said “Jean-Luc what have you done to the Enterprise?” Picard – “Don’t look at me I wasn’t in command.” Picard looks over at Riker.

There is nothing for JJ to do with you, Bill, unless this is a pathetic attempt to currey some favor for a part in Episode 7. Don’t you have a Priceline commercial to shoot or something?

There is something to be said about making a graceful exit….

#8: Shatner directed and had a hand in writing Star Trek V, and look how well that turned out.

JJ doesn’t know anything, except shoveling drivel to pinheads…

SHAT knows JJ!!

no huge mystery. We knew Shatner deserved more than a cameo (not just based on his comments to that effect but based on our sincere repect) and we didn’t want to insult him by offering only that. And creatively, JJ wasn’t sure if the scene fit into the overall movie.