Friday, April 21, 2006

Star Trek, The Previous Generation?

Being a Star Trek fan/geek, I was both thrilled and troubled by this article which I found on CNN this morning:
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LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- More than three years after the last "Star Trek" movie crashed at the box office, the venerable sci-fi franchise is being revived by the director of the upcoming "Mission: Impossible" sequel, Daily Variety reported in its Friday edition.

The as-yet-untitled "Star Trek" feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release through Paramount Pictures, the Viacom Inc. unit looking to restore its box-office luster under new management, the trade paper said.

The project will be directed by J.J. Abrams, whose Tom Cruise vehicle "Mission: Impossible III" will be released by Paramount on May 5. Abrams, famed for producing the TV shows "Alias" and "Lost," will also help write and produce.

Daily Variety said the action would center on the early days of "Star Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission.

The paper described "Star Trek" as Hollywood's most durable performer after James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series.

The 10th film, "Star Trek: Nemesis," bombed at the box office on its December 2002 release, earning just $43 million in North America. Last year, Viacom-owned broadcast network UPN pulled the plug on the low-rated series "Star Trek: Enterprise" following a four-season run.
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I was excited to read that there was a new movie in the works! I have read and heard rumors over the past 6 months or so, but this is the first concrete evidence I have seen indicating there was an upcoming movie. To make it even better the hiring of J.J. Abrams as director is a fait accompli (no pun intended). J.J. will certainly ratchet up the action level (MI-III and Armageddon) and plot twists ala Lost and Alias. I can hardly wait. The only thing I am a little unsure about is the return to the first generation. TV’s romp to the early days, Enterprise, was not very successful and didn’t really hold my interest. However, this may work out since the characters are already well known. Who do you think will be cast as Kirk and Spock?

1 comment:

Bruce said...

good commentary on the announcement here