Orci/Kurtzman

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Orci/Kurtzman, Trek Franchise | July 9, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 33 comments so far

Trek Writers Talk Sequels

Star Trek writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have already declined to write a sequel to their monster hit Transformers (in theaters now), but in a new interview they seem a bit more open to it for Star Trek. When asked if the film is a ‘one off’ they had this to say… Orci: I think maybe on this one more than even on Transformers, we were imagining possibly a bigger universe. Kurtzman: I think that’s part of the responsibility of taking on this franchise. It’s going to continue. That’s part of the whole theme of Star Trek. There is always going to be a future. The pair also talked about the vetting process for the script and what it was like to meet Shatner and Nimoy, saying "it was totally insane." Read the whole interview at GeekMonthly.com. 

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Orci/Kurtzman, STXI Plot | July 1, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 75 comments so far

Orci: ‘Star Trek’ is two movies in one

In yet another interview (this time with Latino Review) screenwriter Roberto Orci talks about how the new Trek is being made to appeal to fans of the franchise as well as those unfamiliar with it. He also draws a distinction with Tranformers which had a smaller fanbase, saying:  ‘Transformers’ is gonna get us nice and ready for the fans on ‘Star Trek.’ We’ve learned a lot, actually, from that.  Again we, we’re diligent about, with J.J. Abrams, and with Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, agreeing what we all wanted to see first.  And then this one, on ‘Star Trek,’ for example we don’t have the advantage or the luxury of the fact no one has ever seen it.  People know what ‘Star Trek’ is. We don’t have the advantage of the fact (that Transformers has) the giant robots or something.

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Orci/Kurtzman, STXI Plot | June 29, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 103 comments so far

Kurtzman Sees Parallels Between New ‘Star Trek’ and Wrath of Khan

Adam Wills of the Jewish Journal recently interviewed Star Trek 2008 writer Alex Kurtzman and has put up part an interesting Star Trek tidbit from that interview on their GeekHeeb Blog. Kurtzman says that for their new Star Trek  they drew inspiration and hoped to replicate the experience the classic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. For the “Trek” script a lot of it was what “Trek” meant to us as kids. We’ve been enormous fans of “Trek” since we were little kids. And what it felt like to be in the theater and watch “Wrath of Khan” for the first time was what we wanted people to experience … [want to recapture] that kind of an emotional ride. An incredibly great bad guy against an incredibly high-stakes story that’s just emotional. “Trek” for us is about family and friendship.

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Orci/Kurtzman, Shatner, ST09 Cast | June 28, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 59 comments so far

‘Star Trek’ Writers Talk Shatner, Kirk, Spock & Terrorism

In a new interview with MTV, ‘Star Trek’ writers (and executive producers) Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman respond to the recent rumors that William Shatner is upset that he will not appear in the film. "We were very surprised about that" said Kurtzman. Orci followed up saying "We’re certainly hoping to include him in the shoot, because we have nothing but reverence and awe for the man." If true and if ‘in the shoot’ means ‘in front of the camera,’ then it could be inferred that the final draft of the script has a part for Shatner (although that does not mean it would be playing Kirk necessarily). With regards to the casting of the new Kirk and if he should….speak….like…..Shatner, Orci replied: It’s tough, because so many of the people that portrayed the characters in ‘Star Trek’ were distinctive. A lot of the writing created Shakespearean-type characters, such that you could imagine it going both ways. You could imagine it being open to interpretation, or you can imagine it being really faithful. We’re trying to figure out how to do it.

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Orci/Kurtzman, Star Trek (2009 film) | June 25, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 56 comments so far

Kurtzman Talks About His Respect For Trek’s Past – ‘Star Trek’ Not a BSG-style Reboot

In the last week we have heard a lot from Star Trek co-writer Roberto Orci, but now in a new audio interview at Voices From Krypton we hear from Orci’s other half Alex Kurtzman. Kurtzman noted that over the years many writers have contributed to the character of Trek but that the show was "very much Roddenberry’s and it always has maintained a optimistic and hopeful universe about exploration and ultimately also about friendship and family." He spoke about how much he and Roberto have been influenced by the many people involved in Trek’s past… It is an honor to be part of it now and to inherit that mantle, but I feel like we couldn’t have really been doing that without the instruction that everyone else has given us and the road map that has been laid out for us.

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Orci/Kurtzman, STXI Plot | June 24, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 52 comments so far

Orci & Kurtzman: Balancing geekery and nongeekery

Yes…even more on Orci and Kurtzman. Today the pair of Star Trek (2008) writers are profiled in the New York Times in an article titled ‘Character-Driven Films (but Keep the Kaboom).’ The piece covers their biography and discusses how they are just a couple of fanboys who made it big (interesting fact…Orci had a phone shaped like the USS Enterprise). Orci talks about what it is like balancing fandom with business: You can never be just a fanboy in the eyes of other fanboys, because you’re also, in a way, the establishment. You’re like, ‘No, but I’m you.’ But you’re accountable for all your decisions, and inevitably you can’t please everybody.

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Orci/Kurtzman | June 22, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 66 comments so far

Writers Talk About Process for ‘Star Trek’ Screenplay

At a writer’s workshop in Santa Monica on Thursday, Star Trek co-writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman talked about the craft of writing. Most of the discussion and Q&A topics were very ‘inside Hollywood’ discussions about making pitches, drawing characters, doing research, etc. However the subject of Trek came up every once in a while while describing how things work for them. For example they said while making the Star Trek script there came a point when they were falling behind and the studio was saying ‘we need the script – we need the script’…so Kurtzman says "we locked ourselves away for a good two months actually and didn’t take calls and finished it. And they got the script and it was greenlit the next day…which was most satisfying."

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1-18-08/Cloverfield, Abrams, Orci/Kurtzman | June 22, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 22 comments so far

Orci & Kurtzman Working On New TV Pilot w/ Abrams + ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Movie + New Info on Abrams ‘Cloverfield’

At a writers workshop held in Santa Monica on Thursday, Star Trek co-writer Alex Kurtzman said that he and writing partner Roberto Orci are writing on a new TV pilot with JJ Abrams. The three worked together in TV before on the show Alias and it would be the writers first time back on TV since that show ended. Abrams has a multi-million dollar TV production deal with Warner Brothers, but so far has only announced one show for HBO (a medical drama). After the event Roberto Orci told TrekMovie that it was not a Star Trek show and that they still don’t know if the show is for network TV, HBO or cable. He did say it will probably have some sci-fi/genre elements (kind of like Lost and Alias have some genre elements but are not ‘spaceship scifi’), but they are still working out the details. If the show follows the usual pilot season schedule then it wouldn’t really kick into production until Spring of 2008, which would be after Star Trek enters its post production phase.

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Orci/Kurtzman, Star Trek (2009 film), Trek Franchise | June 19, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 87 comments so far

Orci: New ‘Star Trek’ Film To Bring In New Generation – May Lead to New Trek on TV

Yet even more on Star Trek from Mr. Orci’s press tour for Transformers. In the second part of the IESB interview with Orci there is one Trek question related to the future of the franchise and if it will ‘re-establish’ the universe. Orci replied: Absolutely, it’s gotta bring in a whole new generation, it’s gotta bring in people who don’t know Trek so it absolutely trying to re-establish what this universe should be…

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Orci/Kurtzman, Trek Franchise | June 19, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 27 comments so far

Star Trek Reference/Cameo in Tranformers

[MINOR SPOLIERS]Transformers is sure to be one of the big blockbusters of this summer. The mainstream action movie is full of pop culture references including one nod to Star Trek.  The reference comes from the character of Bumblebee (pictured right). Bumblebee is probably the most realized Transformer in the film and certainly gets the most screen time. He befriends the movie’s hero Sam Witwicky (played by Shia LaBeouf). One of the running gags is that the radio in Sam’s Camaro (aka Bumblebee) tunes into all sorts of things all on its own.

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Orci/Kurtzman, Star Trek (2009 film) | June 18, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 72 comments so far

Orci: Big Budget – Maybe Not Big Stars [UPDATED]

In addition to talking to TrekMovie.com, Roberto Orci also talked to other members of the geekosphere at the Transformers event. The Star Trek co-writer opened up on Trek a bit more to IESB saying that he and writing partner Alex Kurtzman were ready to write the film because they "been researching that [Trek] all our lives…we read the novels, we just had it down cold." Regarding which series were favorites he said that he was partial to TNG and that Kurtzman favored TOS. The co-writer and executive producer also said that they wrote the script with a ‘big’ budget in mind. However Orci said they are not yet set on having big named stars and felt that you do not need them…: I don’t think so, because the star of the movie is Star Trek, you know,so another way to think of it is we feel confident in what the material is and what the paradigm of the movie is that we’re not trying to shove an Academy Award winner down your throat to sell it. Which doesn’t mean that we might not end up there but its not our first place to go there with that. more excerpts from IESB, IGN and SciFi Wire below…

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Orci/Kurtzman, Star Trek (2009 film) | June 16, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 88 comments so far

Roberto Orci Talks ‘Star Trek’ and Fandom with TrekMovie.com

TrekMovie.com had a chance to sit down with the co-writer of the new Star Trek film Robert Orci at a promotional event for his latest film Transformers. The event was mainly for Transformers, but I was able to ask some Trek questions. Regarding his and (writing partner) Alex Kurtzman being fans of the franchise Orci stated “obviously we have been fans of Trek forever." The writer said he couldn’t really talk about the plot for the new Trek film, except to joke “we trek through the stars…and it’s in the future.” (I guess that rules out another Star Trek IV style time travel plot). He did mention that the character of Kirk is in the film (which was already announced by Abrams last month). When asked if Kirk had a big part in the film he wryly smiled and said "maybe." Orci (who also shares an Executive producer credit) did offer a status report saying that they are currently in pre-production and casting with shooting planned for November (which is a month later than previously reported). He also confirmed that the working title for the film is just ‘Star Trek’ and that he is "pretty sure" the simple title will end up to be the final title, saying "how do you deny it?…they might pretend it is not the official title but what else is it going to be?” 

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Orci/Kurtzman, STXI Status | May 21, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 71 comments so far

Orci: Trek XI Under A ‘Critical Eye’

Star Trek XI is mentioned (with a brief quote from Robert Orci) in a feature titled ‘Deja View: Hollywood reboots some familiar movie franchises in hopes of finding the next box office monster’ in the May 25 Issue of Entertainment Weekly. The article starts off discussing how franchises like Spider-Man, Pirates and Harry Potter dominate the box office and notes that ‘Hollywood is keener than ever on cultivating bankable brands out of old properties.’ It also points out ‘Batman and James Bond ‘reboots’ – featuring new stars and behind the scenes players – reaped big bucks.’ EW then ‘checks on the status of a few high profile reboots in the works’. These are The Incredible Hulk, Terminator 4, Star Trek, and The Mummy 4. Star Trek XI writer Roberto Orci is quoted in the blurb on Trek, full text below

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Orci/Kurtzman | March 15, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 15 comments so far

Orci & Kurtzman Teaming Up With Bay for Another Sci-Fi Blockbuster

Trek XI’s scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman’s seem to be playing tag team between JJ Abrams and Michael Bay. The pair wrote the script for Abrams’ M:I:3 between the Bay films The Island and Transformers. Now according to TMZ.com they will produce and probably write another sci-fi blockbuster for Bay after Star Trek XI. According to the report the film will be based on the forthcoming novel, "2012: The War for Souls" by Whitley Strieber (writer of the novels behind Communion and The Hunger). Bay is slated to produce and possibly direct, but this time with Warner Brothers. The novel is based on the belief that 2012 is the year of a great transformation or apocalypse. So expect lots of things to blow up, as per Bay tradition. full report here.

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Orci/Kurtzman, STXI Plot | March 8, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 335 comments so far

Orci & Kurtzman: Trek XI To Be ‘Reimagined’ Starship Adventure Titled ‘Star Trek’

MTV have a great interview with Trek XI screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. In it they still play things close to the vest about plot details and casting, but do reveal quite a bit.  MTV is also reporting the film is not a prequel, but a ‘reimagining of the franchise,’ quoting Orci: We’re not going to start totally from scratch…We want it to feel like it’s updated and of the now. That’s actually the discussions we’re having now: how to keep the look of the universe yet have it not look like nothing’s new. It’s tricky.

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Orci/Kurtzman | December 20, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 16 comments so far

Transformers Movie Trailer Premieres

Today Paramount has released the first full trailer for next summer’s Transformers. The film is written by Trek XI scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Transformers is a big test for them and Paramount to see if they can take a geeky franchise with a rabid fan base and make it palatable to mainstream movie goers. If Trek XI ends up being Paramount’s big summer movie for 2008, then perhaps a year from now we will be seeing the trailer for Trek XI itself. click to go to Yahoo Movies site to see the trailer Orci and Kurtzman have also picked the winners of their ‘Write a Line For Optimus Prime’ contest, details at the official site 

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Orci/Kurtzman, Uncategorized | November 26, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 17 comments so far

Trek XI Scribes Invited Innovative Input Session on Transformers Script

TrekMovie has reported how Star Trek XI co-writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have sought out fan input for their Transformers Movie script. The LA Times is now reporting that they also used an novel approach to get peer feedback on the script as well. Apparently in May (right before shooting began) they held a ‘brainstorming session’ with a number of other writers to help give the script a final polish. From the article: Kurtzman and Orci’s dream team included David Ayer ("Training Day," "Harsh Times"), Rawson Marshall Thurber ("Dodgeball"), stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt ("MADtv"), Jon Hurwitz ("Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle"), Lona Williams ("Drop Dead Gorgeous"), Jeff Nathanson ("Catch Me If You Can") and Don D. Scott ("Barbershop"). While all of the screenplay’s major elements — structure, plot, characters — were locked down, these writers were asked to double check its logic and help squeeze whatever additional humor they could from potentially comedic moments.

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CBS/Paramount, Orci/Kurtzman, Uncategorized | October 2, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 2 comments so far

Trek XI Writers Hold ‘Write A Line’ Contest For Transformers Movie

Next summer Paramount Pictures is bringing the Transformers franchise to the big screen in a live action movie. The film is directed by Michael Bay and written by Trek XI scriptwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Weeks ago we covered their streaming video Q&A session where they mentioned an upcoming fan contest. This week marks the start of the contest where they are letting fans submit lines for their script. 10 entries for a line of dialog will be recorded by star Peter Cullen (the voice of Optimus Prime) with the winning entry ending up in the final film. Paramont along with Orci and Kurtzman are to be applauded for their fan outreach on Transformers. With Orci and Kurtzman also having exec-producer credit for Star Trek XI we can only hope that this kind of feedback and involvement will be in store for Trek fans as well. The Transforms film is just finishing up principal filming and will be released on July 4th. The official website promises to provide many goodies like pictures, video, blogs, etc but so far it all says ‘coming soon’ Go to the Offical Transformers Site to Enter in the Contest

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Orci/Kurtzman | September 20, 2006 | By: James Heaney 10 comments so far

A Trek By Many Other Names?: Alias and Star Trek XI

Editor’s Note: this article is the first of a series that will explore the works of the creative team behind Star Trek XI. Warning containts some spoilers  What can Abrams ‘Alias’ teach us about Trek XI cheap soft tab viagra Alias. It is a familiar name to those who follow the exploits of J.J. Abrams and his coterie of Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Damon Lindelof, and Bryan Burk (all of whom are producers and/or writers for Star Trek XI). It is also familiar to those of us who once watched the weekly ratings for Star Trek: Enterprise only to find that Bristow, Bristow, and Vaughn had once again fairly trounced Archer, Trip, and T’Pol in the only battle that mattered to the networks. With the announcment of Abrams’ involvement in the future of Trek, I got some DVD’s and started watching. I have now finished the first two seasons and part of the third in this five-season spy show.

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Orci/Kurtzman, STXI Status, Uncategorized | August 24, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 7 comments so far

Orci Reveals Star Trek XI Schedule

In Hollywood, movies don’t truly get started until there is a script. Our studio sources have been telling us that only the ‘story’ (or ‘treatment’) for Star Trek XI has been completed. Now, according to Trek XI executive producer and co-writer Roberto Orci, it seems that Halloween is the target for the first draft of a script with filming starting as early as next summer. Orci revealed the schedule in response to an online query about the Trek XI time frame this Wednesday, saying: Just started writing it. First draft by end of October, second by x-mas and hopefully shooting in summer or fall. If all goes REALLY well.

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Abrams, Orci/Kurtzman, ST09 Cast | August 23, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 8 comments so far

Grunberg: ‘Amazing Actors’ Want To Be In Star Trek XI

It appears that William Shatner isn’t the only big star bucking for a seat on the next Trek enterprise. JJ Abrams pal and expected Trek XI castmember Greg Grunberg is concered about the compeition he is facing for a good part in Star Trek XI. Grunberg tells SciFi Wire: It would be great to have some great role. But people are coming out of the woodwork. Amazing actors are coming out from everywhere calling J.J. and saying, ‘I want to be in this movie!’

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Orci/Kurtzman, Uncategorized | August 18, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 1 comments so far

Orci and Kurtzman Look To Fan Input For Script

As reported yesterday, Star Trek XI Writers Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman held a live chat about their next film The Transformers Movie. Unfortunately they did not take any questions regarding STXI. However they did reveal quite a bit about their writing process. Although Transfomers is based on a cartoon, they said they wanted the film to be ‘realistic’ and wanted it be accessible to fans and non-fans alike. Orci said: “we want everyone to be able to enjoy this film, young, old, girls, whoever”. It is likely that a similiar approach will be taken with Star Trek XI to expand it’s audience beyond the ‘Trekkie base’. One thing that was quite clear is that is these two are hardcore fans of the Transformers franchise and have loved it since they were kids. The pair discussed how they had originally pitched the idea to director Michael Bay (who they worked with on last year’s The Island). If these guys approach Trek with the respect and passion that they demonstrate with Transformers, then Trek XI is in good hands.

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Abrams, Orci/Kurtzman, ST09 Cast, STXI Plot, Uncategorized | July 28, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 5 comments so far

Taking a red pen to the IMDB entry for Trek XI

IMDB is a fantastic resource for fans and film industry people alike. For films that have been completed it extremely accurate and can be relied upon. But for films development that is another story. People should remember that IMDB is like wiki in that most of the content is submitted by users (just like you). And it appears that Trekkies are a bit overzelous in their contributions because the IMDB entry for Star Trek XI is riddled with wild speculation and rumors and it appears to be getting worse. continue reading to get a full breakdown on what is real and what is myth…

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Orci/Kurtzman | July 24, 2006 | By: Anthony Pascale 1 comments so far

ST XI Scribes Orci and Kurtzman to produce thriller for Dreamworks

Seems like Abrams isnt the only STXI writer cutting deals. Variety (via DarkHorizons.com) is reporting that Trek XI co-writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci will be producing a big screen adaptation of the Thomas Perry Novel "Nightlife" about a female serial killer. This is in addition to their work as writers on next summer’s blockbuster in waiting Transfomers…and of course the script they are presently writing the first draft of…Star Trek XI. It seems that Paramount/DreamWorks cant get enough of these guys..who appear to be joined at the hip (they are actually best friends who started a writing partnership back in high school). Although best known for their writing, they have signed on Ehren Kruger (Brothers Grim) to do the adaptation of Nightlife. To learn more about your Trek Writers..Interview with the WGAPodcast Interview with Creative Screenwriting