Star Trek (2009 film)

Star Trek XI is the working title of the planned eleventh entry in the film series based upon the Star Trek fictional universe (originally conceived by Gene Roddenberry), receiving extensive coverage in the entertainment press during 2005-2006. In April 2006, after several years of rumor and speculation, Paramount Pictures announced that the movie will be directed and produced by J. J. Abrams and co-produced by Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, who worked with Abrams on the television series Lost. The release date is anticipated to be in 2008, however an official release date has not yet been announced, nor has an official title.

Early reports and speculation

Rumors related to Star Trek XI began circulating in earnest in 2003 and continued to do so up until April 2006.

2003

Rick Berman, executive producer of the Star Trek franchise, revealed in 2003 that preliminary work had begun on an eleventh Star Trek feature film, despite the box office underperformance of the tenth film, Star Trek: Nemesis. Rumors circulated that this film would be a prequel, perhaps titled Starfleet Academy or Starfleet Command, involving Spock, Captain James T. Kirk, and Dr. Leonard McCoy played by new actors. The Starfleet Academy concept was familiar to Trek fans, as the idea had been circulating at Paramount for more than twenty years, originally conceived by Harve Bennett as an early draft of Star Trek VI entitled, Star Trek: The First Adventure. (Though it appears Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, may have had the idea as early as 1968 [1], there is no indication that any action was taken on it until The First Adventure.) Other rumors circulating in 2003 suggested the film might be based on the spin-offs Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, or even the then-current series Star Trek: Enterprise.

Still other rumors suggested the film would take place between the events of Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: The Original Series, perhaps involving the Earth-Romulan War and featuring a new cast. However, rumors of such a prequel have also circulated several times throughout the history of the franchise -- shortly after TOS's original cancellation in 1969 and again in the 1990s -- both without results.

2004

Late in the year, Paramount indicated that no plans were in place for a new film, and it was reported that the studio had rejected Berman's idea of a film featuring a new cast and crew, indicating that it preferred a film featuring familiar faces (a sentiment also frequently expressed by Star Trek fandom). This announcement came as Enterprise was struggling in the television ratings, and the future of the Trek franchise appeared in doubt.

2005

Berman told Variety in early February (following the announced cancellation of Enterprise) that pre-production of an eleventh Star Trek film was indeed underway and that screenwriter Erik Jendresen, producer Jordan Kerner, and former Paramount Television president Kerry McCluggage were attached to the project[2]. Berman said the film would focus on new characters, rather than any from previous series, and would take place in a time period before the original Star Trek (as Enterprise did before it). Jendresen has since confirmed such reports. [3]

However, it was still uncertain whether Jendresen's script would be approved by Paramount executives; a month earlier several Web sites reported that the studio had rejected a similar proposal, though Berman denied this [4].

In a May interview for the UK Star Trek Magazine, published in the wake of Enterprise's cancellation, Berman stated that he did not expect Trek XI, if it were actually produced, to be released for several years [5]. Some sources such as the user-edited Internet Movie Database gave the film the working title Star Trek: The Beginning, and were suggesting a 2007 release; however, Paramount had yet to announce any official title, or whether it would actually produce an 11th Star Trek film. In a September follow-up interview, Berman stated that planning for the film was still "in its infant stages" [6].

The announcement in October of Paramount Pictures's DVD Premiere division, devoted to direct-to-DVD original productions and franchise spin-offs, led to speculation as to whether a future Star Trek film might be produced in this format [7].

On December 1, Patrick Stewart, who had played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the previous four Trek films, stated that discussions had been held regarding a possible new film featuring the TNG crew, although the actor indicated that his stage acting commitments would prevent him from participating in such a production until sometime in 2007 [8]. Stewart did not indicate whether this was being considered as an alternative to the prequel proposal or a separate production entirely.

Moreover, on the same day in an interview at a film premiere, Bryan Singer, who directed the first two X-Men movies, expressed his serious interest in helming the next Star Trek feature film, saying that, if he had the opportunity, the story would be "...big. It would be very big" [9]. This comment may have been a Star Trek in-joke, an allusion to Harlan Ellison's frequently told anecdote of a Paramount executive who repeatedly rejected ideas for a Star Trek film with the comment, "that idea's not big enough, I thought I told you to think BIG!"

On December 13, the website Ain't It Cool News reported a rumor that plans were indeed under way for Trek XI to feature William Shatner as Kirk, Patrick Stewart as Picard, and Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer in a Mirror Universe storyline [10] -- although Shatner was 74 years old and his character died onscreen at the age of 59 or 60 in Star Trek: Generations.

2006

On January 19, Patrick Stewart told ITV's This Morning show, "Apparently there's interest in bringing The Next Generation cast together with actors from different Star Trek series." He did not rule out the possibility of Kirk being among them, but he could be referring to characters from Deep Space Nine and Voyager [11].

On February 25, SciFi Pulse reported that Doug Mirabello, a personal assistant to Berman, made a post on Something Awful's forums in which he not only denied all recent rumors about the next Star Trek movie, but also claimed that Star Trek was dead for the time being. Mirabello said outright that Jendresen's script had been rejected. He also stated his belief that Star Trek would not return anytime soon. With the recent CBS/Viacom split, the Star Trek franchise was now owned by the CBS Corporation. Mirabello concluded by saying:

"The TV side is now technically in control of the franchise’s future, and (CBS President and Chief Executive Officer) Les Moonves hates all things Sci–Fi. However, I think this is actually for the best – the public needs to want to see Star Trek again. The best way to achieve this is to take it away for a few years and then bring it back and do it right. The franchise needs a totally new creative team, some time off, and a cool new approach." [12]

Erik Jendresen, the Hollywood scribe who had been commissioned to write the prequel script, told SyFy Portal on April 12 that the project was in a holding pattern and probably dead. [13] He blamed the project's halt on a regime change at Paramount Pictures that included the removal of co-president David DeLine, but he claimed there remained a chance Paramount could move forward with his project. His script, entitled Star Trek: The Beginning, was proposed as a trilogy focusing on the character of Tiberius Chase, who Jendresen claimed is the progenitor of Capt. James T. Kirk. [14] It would take place during the Earth-Romulan War following the events of Enterprise and before the events of TOS. Jendresen also said that his movie would answer old questions, such as why the United Federation of Planets was formed and why Earth and Romulus went to war.

Official announcement

On April 20, 2006 the Associated Press reported, citing Paramount sources, that the eleventh Star Trek movie will be produced and directed by J. J. Abrams, best known for his work on the TV series Lost and Alias and the theatrical film Mission: Impossible III. Paramount also confirmed that the movie will be written and produced by Abrams' collaborators Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman with a planned release sometime in 2008.

Initially, reports regarding the plot of the film suggested that Bennett's original idea of a Starfleet Academy storyline was to be retained. The proposal was said to feature a young Kirk and Spock attending Starfleet Academy and completing their first mission. [15]

However, on April 26, Abrams stated that elements of the initial report were premature: he would like to be producer and he was offered direction, but he had not confirmed whether he has accepted that offer. Abrams said that he would like to make a movie based on Original Series characters, like Kirk and Spock, but that the report that the movie would follow a "Starfleet Academy" treatment was premature. [16]

Comments in a May 23 interview with co-executive producer Bryan Burk for SCI FI Wire further downplayed "Starfleet Academy" rumors, dismissing actor Greg Grunberg's comments on May 5 (see below) as uninformed and saying, "I can tell you that that article (the Associated Press report) leaked out prematurely, so there's no formal statement made from any of us, other than we all couldn't be more excited about it." He stated that the movie's premise was, at the time of interview, being discussed only among "us" (presumably Abrams, Lindelof, Kurtzman, Burk, and Orci). In the same interview, Burk confirmed his co-executive producership of the film. [17]

There has been both support and opposition among the fan base for the movie being a prequel, with areas of concern running the gamut, from unease about recasting the iconic Kirk, Spock, and McCoy characters, to fears that a "Starfleet Academy" treatment would devolve to "Star Trek 90210" (a reference to primetime soap opera Beverly Hills 90210) to the worries of a few that longtime and highly controversial Trek producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman would be involved; conversely, some worried that the Abrams plot was too similar to the one pushed by Berman and Jendresen. Some have even campaigned for bringing "closure" to Star Trek: Enterprise, the ratings-challenged fifth series that was cancelled after only four seasons, or somehow involving popular Enterprise Season Four co-executive producer Manny Coto or writers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens in the development of XI. A widely expressed sentiment across the entire community, however, was gratitude for the fact that Star Trek would soon resume production.

In an interview with The Irish Times, Abrams was asked whether he had seen the online reaction to the AP story and subsequent interviews. According to interviewer Donald Clarke, he replied, "'I have been on the road since the news came out...' suddenly looking somewhat fearful. 'Is the reaction bad?' He was relieved--and happy--to hear that it was not. 'Being involved with a series that has a passionate and vocal following makes me incredibly sympathetic. They have put up with so many incarnations along the way. These fans, they are a smart bunch. They are an intelligent group. We are very respectful and we have no intention of subverting the material.'" [18] These comments have been viewed not only as a reassurance to fans fearful of being ignored by the new showrunner of Star Trek, but also as debunking widespread rumors of a Battlestar Galactica-style reboot. [19]

In May, Abrams continued to provide encouragement to canon-conscious fans with an interview in Empire Magazine, where he said, "As someone who works on a show that has a very loyal and vocal fanbase, I do understand the need to be respectful... I think we can do the fans proud." On the other hand, Abrams admitted, "To be totally honest with you, and this is going to sound horrible, I haven't even seen Nemesis... I feel like the series disconnected for me at a certain period, and though I will have to watch and see everything that was done, I want to see what not to do as much as anything." [20]

In a May 26 podcast interview with Creative Screenwriting Magazine about Mission: Impossible III, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman continued to give details about how much protection they would give to both canon and fanon. Orci claimed that the five members of Abrams' team were very familiar with the "mythology," and even the Star Trek books, which, he claimed, "aren't even counted as part of the mythology sometimes." (According to official guidelines set out by Paramount and Gene Roddenberry, the books are never counted as part of the Trek canon.) He continued, "It's a case of coming in and using the stuff you know is great and you know really works and not violating anything that's come before it." Asked whether XI would use established characters or new ones, Orci concluded, "It will be a bit of both, I think. It will be both." [21]

Documented speculation

On April 21, 2006, the same day as it ran the initial Abrams story, IGN Filmforce reported that Philip Seymour Hoffman, best-known for his Oscar-winning performance as Truman Capote in the 2005 film, Capote, had expressed interest in playing a supporting role in XI, possibly as a ship's doctor, but not as U.S.S. Enterprise doctor Leonard McCoy. Paramount denied the rumor. [22]

On May 2, Cinescape ran a story suggesting that Ben Affleck may be in discussions with Abrams about playing a lead role in Star Trek XI, possibly playing a young Captain Kirk. The editorial was marked strictly as speculation based on an unconfirmed rumor. [23]

On May 5, actor Greg Grunberg, who has appeared in a number of Abrams productions, most notably Alias, told IESB.net that the announcements concerning the Kirk-Spock prequel concept were substantially true. Asked whether he objected to recasting James T. Kirk and Spock, Grunberg replied, "Well, they have to. We're going back in time." He also expressed significant enthusiasm for the project, saying that, "...all the Star Trek fans are going to see it. Half of them are going to hate the fact of bringing it back and half are going to love it, but JJ is just going to bring in a whole new audience to it." [24] As noted above, however, Grunberg's comments regarding the yet-to-be-scripted film's storyline were later debunked by Bryan Burk.

Also on May 5, SCI FI Wire interviewed Jon Favreau, an actor-director working at Paramount, who said that his next movie (an adaptation of John Carter of Mars) had been delayed by studio executives. He cited the fact that, "they've committed to doing the Star Trek franchise, to start that up again, with J.J." He implied that some plans were being put on hold until after Trek XI, so that more studio power could be put into its production. [25]

On May 17, Moviehole.net's rumor columnist responded to a question about the Ben Affleck rumor by citing an unnamed Paramount source. "Ben Affleck will not be in Star Trek XI. Neither will Tom Cruise, neither will Jennifer Garner." He continued by speculating about Philip Seymour Hoffman's involvement, though it is not clear whether he was simply referring to the April 21 IGN article or confirming it with new information. [26]

On June 21, The Insider Online's Marc Malkin reported that a "source" had informed him that J. J. Abrams wanted to cast Matt Damon as Captain Kirk. "He's so interested that he's apparently already sought support from the original Kirk, William Shatner," says Malkin, who claims that Shatner gave his blessing. There was no mention of Damon's reaction. [27]

External links

• Star Trek (2009 film) at Memory Alpha
• Star Trek XI article at IMDb, the Internet Movie Database