Is it me or does it increasingly seem that William Shatner is to the forthcoming Star Trek “requel” (reboot and prequel) what Mark Millar is to the Superman reboot movie: Constantly talking smack just to get attention/press (i.e. publicity stunt)?
The latest chapter in “Shatner-Gate” comes from this video - part of a new series of video blogs called The Shatner Project:
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Everyone’s favorite ham (chatting along with his daughter Liz) rebukes claims made by director J.J. Abrams that they tried to work out a cameo for him, but he balked at the offer demanding more screen-time:
“JJ, nobody every came to me and said ‘we have a cameo.’ Maybe you wrote it, but it never presented itself to me. But the truth is I wouldn’t have wanted to do a cameo, because that you would have clipped that out. It doesn’t fit. You said in your statement you were having trouble fitting it in anyway. But nobody every asked me and I am just sorry that I am not in your wonderful movie and I would have loved to have been in it.”
So, the Shat just admitted that he wouldn’t have accepted just a cameo.
That’s interesting considering how co-writer and co-producer Roberto Orci confirmed (via the Comments section on Trek Movie) that the Shatner cameo was in fact written and that the sequence would be posted online after the film’s release.
To be fair though, Shatner might be telling the truth. We just don’t know. There’s obviously more to this than we’re hearing from either side.
That said, this probably won’t be the last we hear about the subject.
Star Trek beams across theaters on May 8, 2009.
Source: Trek Movie
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10 Comments
hmm…well, the one thing we know for sure is that JJ is a master of marketing.
If there are discrepancies between what JJ, the writers and the Shat are saying, it is not by accident. I’m sure its all a ploy for attention or they secretly did include Shatner in the film, or this extra scene to be show after release.
I’d like to believe that this is a gigantic misinformation campaign, but I have it good authority that it’s not - and that Shatner is in fact not going to be in the film.
Personally, I’m bummed and wish they had found a way to work him into the film in a big way.
Unfortunately we have the reality of his age and the shape he’s in, and I don’t think he would come across well on the big screen unless he had gone on a crash-fitness course that wouldn’t give him a heart attack.
I’m sure salary was also an issue - they can’t afford to inflate the budget on this film any more than it is already in case it ends up bombing.
Vic
Ah, I see.
I personally would prefer him not to be in the film. That way they can take the franchise from where it current is (the end of the TNG era) and bring it full circle to the beginning…and not try to combine that with some time periods in the middle.
If Kirk’s character was in it…then it would have to have him go back in time before the flashbacks in ‘Generations’ then bring him back into the future before he gets stuck in that time thing where he eventually dies. That era was never featured in the shows and movies and wouldn’t be as appealing in my opinion.
I also thing its good just to have the one character who can still be alive in the latest point in Trek, its more effective that way I think.
Who knows, I hope this movie is amazing.
Nobody says “wonderful movie” with such subtile vigor and spitfull hate, than the Shatner man…
(He’s so talented)
I did love Tek War.
Yeah Vic your point on apperance is the most important one here.
Shatner himself, said that the character of Kirk was brought back to life in some of the novels, (his of course)…
That works because (for the majority of ppl) the imagination dosnt see a fat overfed bloke of a human in Star Fleet garb,,,
(He looks like some fat guy at a convention wearing a Kirk uniform).
Shatner should really focus his agent on getting in on the Trekkies 3 film …(I hear its in production)
If Shatner is in the film, it will be the biggest Nuke the fridge since Indy4….
I am so sick of Shatner…He’s a HACK and has always been…We don`t need another ham performance from a man who wouldn`t even exist in Hollywood if he weren`t Kirk in the first place.. The franchise doesn`t need this B&?%$ any way, let Nimoy`s quiet dignity and humilitiy be the thread that reignites this storied franchise and to hell with Shitner!!!
My apologies to Vic and others who wanted Shatner in the movie.
Hate the guy !!!
He probably gets flooded by emails, letters and comments all the time about the cameo. Seems a simple way to address them and not “talking smack” at all.
Funny, I don’t recall hearing Kate Mulgrew, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks or even Scott Bakula whinning for a cameo…?
Whaaaa. Whaaaa
Corbomite Whaaa,,,
I don’t know; this sounds like a trick to me. We go and see the movie, and all of a sudden, Shatner shows up on screen as Kirk. Just like when Sean Connery showed up at the end of Robin Hood; the audience went nuts.
What could the cameo be anyway? A flashback? (no clips shows please). An altered timeline?
Maybe Shat’s Kirk could show up in a wax museum, and Shat could play the wax figure.
You’re dead, dude. Get over it. No, really. You’re dead.
Wasn’t it Borg tech that brought him back to life in his novel? Reach for the stars Shat. I actually kinda like Shat- he can make fun of himself from time to time, which is more than some A, B, C, D, or E list actors can do. But he’s dead in Star Trek.
They could have went with a reminisce between him and Nimoy on the way back to earth from “Undiscovered Country” and still made a good show. It’s still unclear to me where they want to go after this one. Do they want to revamp the TOS time line so they can tell stories with younger actors playing the original characters? Is this just like a number of the other movies set in this universe, just a stand alone story? Here again even after this one, you could still fit a story between the old, into retirement crew and the NG crew. Hey, maybe Kirk needs to write his memoirs. Or NOT!
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