ST09 Cast

The new Spock has the nicest things to say about the new Uhura and Chekov. Zachary Quinto tells MTV Anton Yelchin is like [”Heroes” co-star] Hayden [Panettiere] actually. He is like an eighteen-year-old kid that blows me away when I watch his acting. And Zoë I’ve known [a long time] actually. She did a movie with a friend of mine seven or eight years ago. I got to meet her and know her a little bit back then and am excited to re-meet her and work with her now.

One of the big rumors earlier this year (well before Quinto was cast) was that The Pianist star Adrian Brody was ‘in talks’ to play Spock in the new Star Trek film. It appears that there is truth to the rumor, although the ‘talks’ may have just been one ‘talk’ with director J.J. Abrams. Brody lamented to MTV about not being Spock…    

The search for (a) Scot continues and now a new name can be added to the list of potential Enterprise engineers. TrekMovie.com has confirmed that Stargate Atlantis actor Paul McGillion has auditioned for the role of Montgomery Scott in the new Star Trek movie. The 38 year-old actor is well known to sci-fi fans for his portrayal of the Scottish doctor Carson Beckett on the popular Stargate spin-off and his name often comes up in fan discussions regarding potential ‘Scotty’ actors. Like the original Scotty (James Doohan) McGillion is from Canada, but he was born in Scotland and clearly does a ‘flawless’ Scottish accent. Unlike previously reported Scottish competition, McGillion held his recent Trek audition in Los Angeles instead of London. The actor tells TrekMovie.com "Obviously it would be a great honour to follow in James Doohan’s footsteps."

Zachary Quinto (Star Trek’s new Spock) has been doing some more interviews promoting the premiere for the second season of Heroes (Tonight NBC 9pm). Not much about Trek, but he did tell the New York Post: The experience that I expect to have with Star Trek and, hopefully, many other films down the line is that you really get to immerse yourself more fully and take a lot more time in the exploration of the characters in the film, since the shooting structure is so different-the time you have to spend on each scene, and so on. What you lack in longevity you more than make up for in depth of exploration.

In a red carpet interview before last week’s Emmy’s Zachary Quinto talked about getting fitted for his new ears plus about juggling his Trek and Heroes work.

In another case of you heard it here first, both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter just confirmed the TrekMovie.com scoop that Zoe Saldana has been picked to be the new Uhura for the new Star Trek movie. THR notes that Saldana is in ‘final negotiations,’ but Variety reports that Saldana has indeed ‘signed on’ as the Enterprise’s communications officer originally portrayed by Nichelle Nichols. As reported here earlier, Saldana is also the star of James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar which which is currently filming and TrekMovie.com sources indicate that dealing with conflicting schedules was the focus of negotiations. Saldana joins Anton Yelchin (Chekov), Zachary Quinto (Spock) and Leonard Nimoy (older Spock). Still no word on Scotty, Sulu, McCoy and of course…..Kirk!

Anton Yelchin (the new Chekov) is still busy promoting his two fall films Fierce People and Charlie Bartlett – which is a good thing since it appears he still doesn’t have a script for Star Trek. The young actor tells ReelzChannel I guess they’re withholding that until they get casting done or whatever. I plan on… becoming as much of a Trekkie as a I can in the couple weeks before we start shooting — just renting all the box sets, not going outside, not seeing the sun rise, just having the shades drawn.

In a new AP video interview Zachary Quinto talks about being a villain in Heroes and his new role as Spock in the new Star Trek film.

As reported last week, the casting search continues for the new Star Trek movie. The focus for the search for a new Scotty is in London where it appears they are casting a wide net to find a new chief engineer for J.J. Abrams Star Trek. The latest name to be thrown into the ring is 24 year old Scottish actor Martin Compston (pictured right), best known for his role on the BBC drama Monarch of the Glen. The UK’s Daily Record cites friends of Compston’s saying he has had callbacks, but also notes that he is up against a lot of competition and that he may look too young for the part. Just last week the same newspaper cited friends of 38 year old Scottish comedic actor Greg Hemphill (pictured left) saying he too had auditioned for the role. Their names join James McAvoy’s for those who have been rumored to be in the running, but there are undoubtedly many more who don’t have friends talking to the media.

In a series of interviews conducted during his visit to New York City as part of the Heroes World Tour this past week, Zachary Quinto talked about getting the role as the new Spock and his preparations to don the ears for the new Star Trek film. "It’s something I gunned for. I mean, I really wanted to play this role," he tells the London Free Press, but noted to the National post “I don’t think I would have gone after it if I didn’t feel ready for it.” Quinto told SciFi Wire that he is "becoming more familiar with the mythology" of Trek, but also still charting his own course: I am going to go about it in my own way, which I am starting to do now. And that is really exciting. I am learning a lot about Vulcans and a lot about Romulans and a lot about really interesting stuff so I am looking forward to more of it

The following is a TrekMovie.com community member written story The Heroes world tour came to New York this week to promote the Heroes – Season One DVDs and the Season 2 premiere. On hand were artist Tim Sale, writer/producer Jeph Loeb along with Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah), James Kyson Lee (Ando), new cast member Dania Ramirez (Maya), and Zachary Quinto (Sylar and the new Spock). All were there (squeezed together on one table) signing DVDs, so chatting and taking pics was tricky.Mr. Quinto was cool and I welcomed him to the Star Trek family with a Vulcan salute. The new Spock quickly returned it with his left hand, but admitted he couldn’t do it with his right yet. Dania Ramirez apparently is a real Trekkie and showed off her Vulcan sign with both hands! (see photos below) I asked if Zach would pose with the gesture and he said "Please no, I’m gonna be doing it for the rest of my life soon enough!"

While promoting his new film Fierce People, Anton Yelchin briefly answered a couple questions about his role as Pavel Chekov in the new Star Trek film. “There’s not much to say, actually,” he explained to Collider.com, but went on to say he was excited the project and about working with director J.J. Abrams. The 18-year-old Russian born actor guessed his age and background may have something to do with his casting, joking “I can do a Russian, [I am] familiar with Russian people. Very, very familiar.” UPDATE: Yelchin talks about audition process (see below)

TrekMovie.com has another Star Trek casting scoop (remember we were first with Quinto as Spock). Sources close to the production tell TrekMovie.com that 29-year-old actress Zoë Saldana has been offered the part of Uhura – the USS Enterprise’s communications officer originally played by Nichelle Nichols. Apparently the deal is not yet final and one outstanding issue may be related to her schedule starring in the James Cameron sci-fi mega movie Avatar which is still in production. Sources indicate that Avatar will be doing location shooting starting in October and Star Trek is slated to start shooting in November. Dealing with a busy actor’s schedules is not new to the Star Trek producers – the same had to be done for  Quinto. Insiders tell TrekMovie.com that casting for other Star Trek characters is still ongoing. UPDATE: Confirmed – Zoe Saldana Is The New Uhura 

It seems a day doesn’t go by without a new interview with Zachary Quinto. This time, the actor who will be Spock discussed his relationship with his predecessor and soon-to-be co-star, Leonard Nimoy, with National Ledger. “His involvement and support really mean the most to me at this point,” he says. “To step into a role this iconic and have the actor who created it at your side — it’s a true gift.” He again expressed his hope in getting to know Nimoy “as a person and as an actor,” referring to him as “an incredibly multifaceted and fascinating artist.” Quinto says he is already practicing his own characterization of Spock – in between takes on Heroes.

USA Today Celeb Watch has released their ‘outtakes’ from their Quinto/Nimoy interview

Another day, another Quinto interview – this time with ComingSoon.net. The actor, who has admitted that he is new to the franchise now  says he will not necessarily be analyzing old movies and episodes too much: “I think that the key to the success of this character is probably going to be reestablishing a perspective on this character with gratitude and respect for what’s come before.” The new Spock also gives the strongest indication yet as to the setting of the film: The interesting thing is that you meet this character before you ever knew him on the television series and the other movies, so sort of what you know about him and then also an exploration of how he got to that point. All of the characters, not just Spock.

In a new Interview with Aint it Cool News Zachary Quinto seems ready to take on the role of Spock in the new Star Trek film, saying “I can’t be daunted. I have to be absolutely honored and prepared. There’s no room for daunted.” He noted the courage he feels working with the likes of Leonard Nimoy, producer/director J.J. Abrams, and the film’s writers and producers. “I feel like I can just implicitly trust these guys and I’m so inspired by their enthusiasm, so I’m nothing but excited.” Regarding Star Trek’s “notoriously picky fan base,” Quinto acknowledged that Star Trek is an important part of many people’s lives and that the new film’s creative team were aiming to please the fans while also putting their own spin on the franchise. Their hand in it is going to inevitably influence it and change it and that’s really exciting as long as it’s done with the work in mind and the respect at hand.

J.J. Abrams and Paramount want an A-Lister to be the villain in the new Star Trek movie and word is that Russell Crowe is on the list. The actor was again asked by ExtraTV if there is anything to the rumors and his reply "Apparently. But I haven’t read anything. I can’t make a decision about anything until I read it so we’ll see what happens" implies that there may be something there. The most likely scenario is that he and/or his agent has been sent something (maybe even a script…although Paramount is keeping a tight lid on those), but that the busy actor hasn’t looked at whatever has been sent. Even IGN who first put his name out there acknowledge that it is unlikely he will be able to do the role. So the big question is…what other A-Listers on on J.J.’s list?

In an interview with Rope of Silicon, Zachary Quinto discussed his portrayal of Spock in the upcoming Star Trek film, particularly in comparison to his role as the villainous Sylar on NBC’s hit series, Heroes. Quinto found no similarity between the roles (does anyone?), and he still seems to be coming to grips with moving on from Sylar to Spock. "It is just settling into me now and I am just embarking on this preparation and I think it is going to be a pretty epic journey," said Quinto. However, the new Spock does see more than just the growing list of cast connections when comparing the two shows: I think the message of "Star Trek" and the message of "Heroes" is the overwhelmingly optimistic message about humanity and its capacity to evolve and survive and to hold itself accountable considering the state of things. We live in a world where that is imminently necessary. It is nice to be a part of those things.

In February Scottish actor James McAvoy was reported  (by a British tabloid) to be in talks to play Scotty in the new Star Trek movie (story denied to TrekMovie.com by publicist a week later). Although  McAvoy himself later stated "there is no truth" to the rumors, the actor seemed to be interested in the part. Now the story is back – the UK’s  Sunday Mirror reported that McAvoy "had won the role" of Scotty and a follow-up in The Scottsman claimed McAvoy "was up against famous names and total unknowns." Although this may just be another ‘retread’ story from the tabloids, one source did indicate to TrekMovie.com that there may be some truth to the rumor. Initial calls to McAvoy’s representatives provided no concrete information. UPDATE: DeniedA spokesperson at McAvoy’s publicist’s office contacted TrekMovie.com to say "James McAvoy is not attached to the Star Trek project." When pressed for more info the spokesperson could not give any more details.

USA Today visited with the only two officially confirmed Star Trek cast members (Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy) at the Griffith Park Observatory. No major details revealed – but you can already see the pair of Spocks are already getting along well.