422 replies to this topic

[Peter T Chattaway]

NBooth wrote:
: An anonymous source is claiming that the villain isn't Khan, but that it is a TOS character:

Ahem.

But thanks for bringing that up; I had forgotten it. And I can only begin to wonder what sense to make of that rumour, now, in light of the news that the filmmakers have been looking at Spanish and/or Latino actors. (For Mudd? Maybe. Gary Mitchell? Uh, no. The Talosians? Certainly possible, although the Talosian planet really IS one of those things that Spock Prime should have warned the Federation about by now. Trelane? Also certainly possible, although I fear anything in that vein will feel too much like it was borrowed from Next Generation's Q episodes.)

: Of course, given that we know a character will be a businessman of some sort, the Horta would also make sense, I guess.

Making the Horta a villain? And one played by a human, at that? What would Leonard Nimoy say. (I mean, he FREQUENTLY cites the 'Devil in the Dark' episode as an example of what made Star Trek great.)

[NBooth]

Cumberbatch!

I won't lie, this is the best news I've heard about the movie yet.

[Peter T Chattaway]

NBooth wrote:
: Cumberbatch!

For some reason that Deadline "exclusive" says they haven't said yet whether Benedict Cumberbatch is playing a good guy or bad guy. As it happens, TrekMovie.com also says it had an exclusive on Cumberbatch's casting ... and then Variety went and revealed that Cumberbatch is playing the villain, i.e. the role that Benicio Del Toro turned down. So not only is Deadline's "exclusive" maybe not-that-exclusive, it's also way out-of-date at this time (as blog posts go).

[NBooth]

 Peter T Chattaway, on 04 January 2012 - 10:02 PM, said:

NBooth wrote:
: Cumberbatch!

For some reason that Deadline "exclusive" says they haven't said yet whether Benedict Cumberbatch is playing a good guy or bad guy. As it happens, TrekMovie.com also says it had an exclusive on Cumberbatch's casting ... and then Variety went and revealed that Cumberbatch is playing the villain, i.e. the role that Benicio Del Toro turned down. So not only is Deadline's "exclusive" maybe not-that-exclusive, it's also way out-of-date at this time (as blog posts go).

Weird. A friend texted me to let me know, and I did a search and came up with the Deadline report. Apparently, Variety is also reporting that Noel Clarke of Doctor Who will also be in the movie playing "a family man."

Edited by NBooth, 04 January 2012 - 10:35 PM.

[Overstreet]

Well, I certainly can't see Cumberbatch playing Khan, FWIW. This must be a new villain indeed.

[NBooth]

 Overstreet, on 04 January 2012 - 11:13 PM, said:

Well, I certainly can't see Cumberbatch playing Khan, FWIW.

Or Mudd or Gary Mitchell (two of the options mentioned a while back). Trelane, possibly--although unlikely for reasons mentioned above.

So he must be playing the Horta....

Nah, I'd bet on "new villain" too.

[NBooth]

 NBooth, on 04 January 2012 - 11:57 PM, said:

 Overstreet, on 04 January 2012 - 11:13 PM, said:

Well, I certainly can't see Cumberbatch playing Khan, FWIW.

Or Mudd or Gary Mitchell (two of the options mentioned a while back). Trelane, possibly--although unlikely for reasons mentioned above.

So he must be playing the Horta....

Nah, I'd bet on "new villain" too.

Well, MTV has some set photos, and Cumberbatch seems to be wearing a Starfleet uniform in one of them. If it weren't for the fact that Mitchell has been dealt with in the in-continuity comics, I would be inclined to start leaning that direction.

[Tyler]

 NBooth, on 24 February 2012 - 01:21 PM, said:

 NBooth, on 04 January 2012 - 11:57 PM, said:

 Overstreet, on 04 January 2012 - 11:13 PM, said:

Well, I certainly can't see Cumberbatch playing Khan, FWIW.

Or Mudd or Gary Mitchell (two of the options mentioned a while back). Trelane, possibly--although unlikely for reasons mentioned above.

So he must be playing the Horta....

Nah, I'd bet on "new villain" too.

Well, MTV has some set photos, and Cumberbatch seems to be wearing a Starfleet uniform in one of them. If it weren't for the fact that Mitchell has been dealt with in the in-continuity comics, I would be inclined to start leaning that direction.

Right, since Abrams is always so concerned about continuity.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Tyler wrote:
: Right, since Abrams is always so concerned about continuity.

I think the key point here is that the comics were written with input from the WRITERS of these movies, AFTER they had figured out what the basic storyline of this movie was going to be. And yes, the comics written by these guys have been VERY concerned with continuity.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Those leaked photos from last week? Here's some video that was shot at the same time.

Cumberbatch's character may or may not be a villain -- that all depends on how the plot twists and turns -- but it's interesting that he seems to be a match for Spock in the physical strength department. Is Cumberbatch not human, then?

[John Drew]

It's kind of funny, but seeing all those stills taken in front of the green screen really give it that old Star Trek TV show monochrome backdrop feel. Hey, maybe JJ should consider going retro... worked for The Artist.

Edited by Baal_T'shuvah, 28 February 2012 - 10:51 PM.

[Tyler]

George Takei shared an exciting announcement on his Facebook page:

<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
George Takei36 minutes ago
Friends, I'm thrilled to share this news with you today. As announced at Emerald City Comicon, where I'm appearing this weekend, Paramount Pictures has green-lit a new Star Trek Movie entitled "Excelsior" in which I will play the captain. This announcement is part of Paramount Studio's 100th-year anniversary campaign. The studio has acknowledged the fan enthusiasm for this concept ever since I appeared in command of the vessel in "The Undiscovered Country." J.J. Abrams will direct, with Robert Orci again writing the screenplay.

My co-star in Allegiance, Paulo Montalban, has been cast opposite me to play the mercurial "Agha," the grandson of Khan (played by Ricardo Montalban in the Second Star Trek Movie). Also featured are Gilbert Gottfried (playing a wily Ferengi First Officer) and Lisa Lampanelli (as a Bajoran security officer).

More to come on this breaking story soon. Thanks again for the years of support, and I'll see you on the Bridge of "Excelsior."

[NBooth]

Gosh, I hate April 1. Still, the idea [of Excelsior, not April 1 ] is amusing. I especially like the implication that fans have been clamoring for an Excelsior movie for years.

Edited by NBooth, 01 April 2012 - 09:22 AM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Three major spoilers confirmed. Well, they're only "spoilers" in the sense that J.J. Abrams doesn't want anybody to know anything about this movie until the trailer comes out several months from now; there are no major plot points here, just stuff that would probably be spelled out in the next movie's first ten minutes. (And one of the "spoilers" has already been leaked, pretty much, by the actor in question, during a CNN interview that took place a few days ago.)

But still... wow. I have no idea how ANY of this is going to make sense, given that the events of these movies are supposed to be consistent with the original series' timeline at least until the point when Kirk was born. (And get ready for some complaints about the, um, whitewashing of a certain non-white character...)

[NBooth]

Yeah, I saw that earlier today and heaved a huge double-barreled sigh. I was hoping for something less predictable.

[NBooth]

 Peter T Chattaway, on 30 April 2012 - 02:40 PM, said:

(And get ready for some complaints about the, um, whitewashing of a certain non-white character...)

io9 counts the ways in which this piece of casting is a bad idea (spoilers, natch).

Edited by NBooth, 03 May 2012 - 06:42 PM.

[Ryan H.]

That casting call makes no sense to me.

[NBooth]

 Ryan H., on 03 May 2012 - 06:46 PM, said:

That casting call makes no sense to me.

I'm right there with you. Much as I love the actor, the role is just...no.

[Anders]

 NBooth, on 03 May 2012 - 06:59 PM, said:

 Ryan H., on 03 May 2012 - 06:46 PM, said:

That casting call makes no sense to me.

I'm right there with you. Much as I love the actor, the role is just...no.

I'm inclined to agree. A part of me was hoping that when Benecio Del Toro left they would get someone who could credibly be Indian to play a character named Singh (granting that non-Indians can convert to Sikhism and adopt the last name).

[Thom Wade]

 Peter T Chattaway, on 30 April 2012 - 02:40 PM, said:

(And get ready for some complaints about the, um, whitewashing of a certain non-white character...)

I'm on it.