Screen Rant » star trek

J.J. Abrams Talks ‘Star Trek 2′ 3D and Casting

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:13:47 +0000

3D has become something of a dirty word amongst moviegoers, and not without good reason: for every genuinely creative and/or enriching use of the format (Avatar, Hugo) there are a dozen other shallow, shoddy and gimmicky examples of 3D done wrong (Alice in Wonderland, Green Lantern, Clash of the Titans). When word got out that Star Trek 2 was going to be post-converted into 3D, many fans of the franchise feared that the sequel would fall into the latter camp of 3D movies.

Well, Star Trek 2 director J.J. Abrams isn’t letting those fears go unaddressed; check out what the geek-chic icon had to say on the subject – as well as some of the recent casting news about the sequel.

Abrams addressed the Star ...

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‘Star Trek 2′ Adds ‘Thor’ Actor Joseph Gatt

Rob Keyes — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:37:02 +0000

After a few delays and the surprising departure of Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro, Star Trek 2 is finally underway, with principal photography commencing this week. In addition to the returning cast of our favorite Starfleet characters and crew of the Enterprise, Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch headlines a batch of new talent who’ve enlisted for the sequel to J.J. Abrams’ franchise reboot.

Cumberbatch is expected to play the lead villain, joining the previously-cast Alice Eve and Peter Weller in undisclosed roles. Other recent Star Trek 2 castings include Noel Clarke (Doctor Who), Nazneen Contractor (24) and one actor we just found out is also onboard: Joseph Gatt.

Gatt is another Brit actor – the third in a week – who made quite a few headlines over the last ...

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’24′ Actress Onboard For ‘Star Trek 2′

Sandy Schaefer — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:41:46 +0000

Production on director J.J. Abrams’ highly-anticipated (and frustratingly delayed) Star Trek 2 is getting underway, which means there’s been a flurry of casting announcements recently.

Thespians such as Alice Eve and Peter Weller have signed up for important supporting roles in the film, alongside Noel Clarke (a.k.a. Mickey on Doctor Who) and the increasingly-popular Benedict Cumberbatch – who is thought to be playing either one of the sci-fi sequel’s secondary villains or its primary antagonist, taking the place of former candidate Benicio Del Toro.

EW has learned that the latest addition to Star Trek 2′s cast is India-born actress Nazneen Contractor, who will portray the wife of Clarke’s “family man” character. Contractor is best known for her turn as Kayla Hassan during the eighth (and final) season of 24.

It goes ...

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Benedict Cumberbatch Enlists For ‘Star Trek 2′ [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:35:56 +0000

It was a month ago today when we found out that Benicio Del Toro had turned down a role as the primary villain of Star Trek 2. The news broke alongside multiple reports that the character Del Toro was in the running to play was the long-rumored Khan, the most iconic of Star Trek villains.

With the holidays approaching and principal photography beginning this month, J.J. Abrams and co. were in a hurry to find a replacement and names including Édgar Ramírez and Jordi Mollà quickly surfaced as potential replacements, but it is among the unlikeliest of actors where they may have found the film’s antagonist: Benedict Cumberbatch.

There’s no official word from Paramount Pictures yet regarding the signing of the Brit actor, but The Wrap has the scoop that Benedict ...

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‘Star Trek 2′ Comic Book Tie-In and Timeline Discussion

Sandy Schaefer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:18:49 +0000

J.J. Abrams and his Star Trek production crew are currently scrambling to settle on an actor to portray the mysterious villain in the Trek sequel – a character who may or may not be Khan Noonien Singh – so that production the project can actually begin before the end of January 2012.

Trek fans have nonetheless had plenty to talk about while waiting for an official announcement on that matter, thanks to recent casting additions like Peter Weller and Alice Eve, along with the not-so-comforting news that Star Trek 2 will be post-converted to 3D; though, on a more encouraging note, the film could conceivably also be partly shot for IMAX, since Abrams has expressed his interest in the format.

Today, we have a couple of extra tidbits of information to help keep ...

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New Potential ‘Star Trek 2′ Villain Actors Emerge

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:57:19 +0000

The unexpected withdrawal of Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro as the antagonist in director J.J. Abrams’ untitled Star Trek sequel (a.k.a. Star Trek 2) has left the filmmaker scrambling to find a fitting replacement, seeing how production on the slow-moving project is slated to finally begin by January 2012.

Reports that Khan Noonien Singh will be the villain in the latest Trek movie began circulating just before Del Toro’s departure and since then, additional inside sources have confirmed the rumor, though an official statement on the matter has yet to be released. Today’s batch of actors said to be front-runners to replace Del Toro, however, will probably only add fuel to the fire (re: Khan’s appearance in the film).

Variety says the primary front-runner to play the central baddie of the Star Trek reboot followup is ...

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Benicio Del Toro Passes on Playing Star Trek 2′s Khan

Rob Keyes — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:20:15 +0000

It’s a day of good and bad news for J.J. Abrams, fans and everyone involved with the production of Star Trek 2. On Friday, news broke that the long-rumored villainous Khan would in fact be featured in the sequel to Abrams’ quasi-reboot of the franchise, a role that was expected to be played by Benicio Del Toro whose been in talks for the part over the last month.

Today, while it was announced that Peter Weller (RoboCop) is joining the cast in a supporting role, joining Alice Eve who’s playing a new character, reports are also indicating that Benicio Del Toro has dropped out of the project.

Vulture has the scoop which explains that Del Toro’s reps couldn’t come to terms of ...

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‘RoboCop’s’ Peter Weller Is Onboard For ‘Star Trek 2′

Sandy Schaefer — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:39:17 +0000

Things are (finally) moving quickly on director J.J. Abrams’ officially-untitled sequel, Star Trek 2. The main cast of the 2009 Trek franchise reboot is prepped to return for the delayed followup, while series newcomers like Alice Eve and Benicio Del Toro are likewise set to appear in the film.

Previous reports indicated there was one last significant role that needed to be cast for the new Star Trek movie: that of a sidekick to Del Toro’s villain character (who, depending on who you believe, may or may not be Khan Noonien Singh). It now looks as though that part may be filled.

Variety has the scoop on Abrams bringing veteran fan-favorite Peter Weller on to play a part in his Trek sequel. The details of Weller’s role are being kept ...

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How Benicio Del Toro’s Khan Could Work For ‘Star Trek 2′ [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:20:09 +0000

In the last week we found out Star Trek 2′s new summer 2013 release date, confirmation that it would be “made” in 3D and that Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League, Men in Black III) will be playing an entirely new character. With the film a year and a half away, it’s still making headlines with the latest reporting that Benicio Del Toro will actually be playing the long-rumored Khan in Star Trek 2.

[Update: Benicio Del Toro is no longer in talks to play Khan in Star Trek 2]

Del Toro was reportedly offered the villain role in J.J. Abrams’ sequel to Star Trek - for which Abrams is again directing – a month ago but there was no indication as to ...

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‘Star Trek 2′ To Feature New Character Played By Alice Eve

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:03:24 +0000

London-born actress Alice Eve has previously come very close to playing important female characters in a handful of recent (and upcoming) blockbuster comic book movies, including that of Emma Frost in X-Men: First Class, Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger, and Faora in the Superman franchise reboot, Man of Steel. However, the She’s Out of My League starlet was ultimately not involved with any of those projects.

Eve will appear in next year’s Men in Black III - and now she also looks to have joined another new installment in a very lucrative sci-fi series, namely Star Trek 2 (a.k.a. J.J. Abrams’ untitled followup to his 2009 Trek franchise reboot).

Variety is reporting that Eve has not yet secured an official deal to appear in Abrams’ new Star Trek ...

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‘Star Trek 2′ Scheduled For May 2013 Release; Will Be A 3D Movie

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:43:40 +0000

Trekkies and sci-fi fans alike need not fret any longer – Star Trek 2 (a.k.a. the delayed sequel to J.J. Abrams’ successful 2009 reboot of the franchise) is at last moving forward towards production.

Shooting on the new Trek adventure is scheduled to begin by mid-January 2012; Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has even begun working on some of the film’s more elaborate effects, to help ensure the final product looks all the more slick and polished. Paramount has now settled on a new theatrical release date for the sequel, which was originally supposed to hit theaters in Summer 2012 (G.I. Joe: Retaliation is essentially serving as its replacement, during that season).

The Star Trek sequel, which Abrams and co. promise will not merely be titled Star Trek 2, is now set for a ...

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‘Star Trek 2′: Official Production Start Date, Shooting Locations, & More

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:24:31 +0000

Production on the tentatively-titled Star Trek 2 was at one point scheduled to begin by either Spring or Summer 2011. However, due to factors like an extended screenwriting process and (primarily) director J.J. Abrams being busy putting the finishing touches on Super 8, filming on the sci-fi sequel ended up being delayed.

Jump ahead to late 2011 and the sci-fi sequel has (finally) officially been pushed back to an unspecified 2013 release date. On the plus side: an actual production start date has been announced, along with additional information concerning the state of the highly-anticipated film’s script, and some of the shooting locations that may serve as various (exotic and Earth-bound) locales of the Star Trek universe.

Trekmovie has learned that principal photography on Star Trek 2 is scheduled to ...

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‘Trek Nation’ Celebrates 45 Years of ‘Star Trek’ Legacy

Anthony Ocasio — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:21:01 +0000

In 1966, the international phenomenon known as Star Trek made its way on to television. Today, forty-five years later, Star Trek still proves to be one of the most beloved franchises in the star system world. In celebration of Star Trek’s galactic influence, SCIENCE (formerly The Science Channel) is exploring the legacy of Star Trek with a two-hour television event, Trek Nation.

Through interviews with fans and former cast members, as well as never-before-seen videos from the Roddenberry family collection, Trek Nation follows Gene Roddenberry’s son, Rod, as he attempts to understand the immense impact that his father’s work has had on the rest of the world.

When it first premiered, Star Trek was described as a western set in space. However, as the series progressed, Roddenberry brilliantly began mirroring societal issues ...

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‘Star Trek 2′ Release Date; ‘Transformers 4′ & ‘Paranormal Activity 4′ Update

Sandy Schaefer — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:21:22 +0000

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman recently offered brief updates on the latest installments in three of Paramount Pictures’ cinematic cash cows – namely, the renovated Star Trek saga, the Transformers franchise, and the Paranormal Activity series.

Star Trek 2 is finally starting to make significant progress down the production pipeline, following a year’s worth of slow developments. Substantial work on both Transformers 4 and Paranormal Activity 4 has (reportedly) barely begun, but both are all-but-guaranteed to come to fruition eventually.

Dauman informed THR that previously-released reports about director/producer J.J. Abrams (at last) being committed to Star Trek 2 were indeed correct – and that the filmmaker is currently “focused on developing the next installment” in the 45-year-old science fiction franchise. However, those who were still holding out hopes that ...

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Benicio Del Toro to be Offered Villain Role in ‘Star Trek 2′

Rob Frappier — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 03:54:53 +0000

Set phasers to smile. For the last two years, Star Trek fans have been waiting patiently for any information about the sequel to J.J. Abrams’ popular 2009 film and now they have some good news.

According to new reports, Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro may soon be tormenting the cast and crew of the Starship Enterprise in an as-yet-unknown role. Director J.J. Abrams will reportedly make an offer to Benicio Del Toro to star as the main villain of Star Trek 2 this weekend.

Variety reports that the Del Toro deal isn’t totally locked yet, but it seems unlikely that the actor would turn down the chance to be part of a major blockbuster and sources say the Oscar-winner has already ...

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J.J. Abrams Officially Set To Direct ‘Star Trek 2′; Production Timeline Revealed

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:37:30 +0000

Trekkies both original and new have spent pretty much the whole of 2011 wondering when J.J. Abrams would officially commit to directing Star Trek 2 – and thus, get the delayed sci-fi project moving forward once more.

We’ve been hearing for months now that Abrams was “hopeful” about directing Star Trek 2; then, that he was all but ready to helm the highly-anticipated sequel; and finally, about three months ago, that Abrams was essentially on the verge of actually claiming the director’s chair as his own. Seriously, there have been “will they or won’t they?” romances on TV shows that’ve been less drawn out than this…

However, it’s at last (pretty much) official: Vulture has learned that Abrams is finally set to helm the Star Trek followup, which will see ...

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‘Star Trek’ Infographic Celebrates 45 Years of Space Exploration

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:30:42 +0000

It’s hard to believe that only 45 years have passed since the world was officially introduced to the crew of the Starship Enterprise (a.k.a. USS Enterprise, NCC-1701) in Gene Roddenberry’s original Star Trek TV series.

Terms like “phaser” and “red shirt,” as well as phrases such as “Live long and prosper” or “Beam me up, Scotty!” (which was never said on the original Trek show) are now so commonly used in everyday vernacular that even those who consider themselves anti-Trekkies immediately recognize their significance.

Star Trek icons William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy each turned 80 this year… and yet, they can still send a sci-fi/comic book/all-things-nerdy convention into a frenzy just by showing up and waving at the crowds. Heck, Nimoy doesn’t even have to physically appear in a movie to get people excited (see: his providing ...

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J.J. Abrams Will Direct ‘Star Trek 2′; Release Date Delayed

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:44:50 +0000

While J.J. Abrams has (in public) been scuffling his feet about actually committing to the task of directing Star Trek 2, it is understandable. Between his having completed post-production and promotion duties on Super 8 just a couple months ago, and his involvement as producer on upcoming TV shows like Alcatraz and Person of Interest, the man has definitely had a lot on his plate to handle.

The good news for Trekkies and sci-fi lovers alike is that Abrams seems ready to finally accept the job as helmer of Star Trek 2. However, the bad news is that (as we’ve all but known for months now) the film will definitely not be arriving in Summer 2012.

According to Deadline, Paramount has accepted that it’s simply not possible for Star Trek 2 ...

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Our 20 Favorite Movie Robots

Mike Eisenberg — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:09:22 +0000

In honor of the closing chapter (for now) of Michael Bay’s Transformers trilogy, we present 20 of our favorite movie robots of all time.

Whether it is an android or autonomous robot, the only rules for this list are that they can speak and they have a dedicated physical form (i.e. they are not a computer program like HAL 9000, KITT or S1m0ne). With those two guidelines in place, we present our list of robots below, ordered alphabetically.

Keep in mind this is only a list of the movie robots we love, and not a definitive “Top 20 Robots of All Time.” It is interesting to note how similar many of these robots are when you look ...

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‘Star Trek 2′ Delayed Until Holidays 2012 with J.J. Abrams Set to Direct?

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:03:57 +0000

Back in 2009, J.J. Abrams’ reimagining of Star Trek took the industry by surprise – delivering a charming throwback to the iconic crew of the Starship Enterprise while also carving out a unique (and canon-friendly) path for Star Trek 2 and beyond. Not only did the film sate the worries of most Star Trek-superfans and deliver an action-packed ride (with a dash of campy fun), the movie also succeeded in wowing general audiences – due to a great ensemble cast and heartfelt storyline.

It’s been no secret that breaking the story for Star Trek 2 has been a challenge for writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman as well as Damon Lindelof and, thanks to a recent update on the script, the industry is now abuzz with uncertainty regarding whether or not ...

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