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J.J Abrams on Thor’s Chris Hemsworth

Liam — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:50:43 +0000

Before Chris Hemsworth landed the lead in Thor (and a part in The Avengers) he had a small role in J.J Abram’s Star Trek as George Kirk. He was the heroic guy who sacrificed himself to save the crew members and his pregnant wife at the beginning of the movie. Director J.J Abrams recently spoke to MTV and commented on Hemsworth’s ‘leading man look’, and he always hoped that Star Trek would give the actor more opportunities.

“He’s so crazy handsome and he’s so strapping with the classic leading man look. I sort of wish I had dirtied him up a little bit, messed his hair up a little bit.”
“The guy’s hair up until the last moment is sort of perfect. In retrospect I look at that and am like a little smudge or a hair out of place would have been a good thing,” he said. “The guy is a sweetheart and terrific actor.”
According to Abrams, the last time he had a chance to chat with Hemsworth was prior to his “Thor” announcement, but he knew the actor was destined for big things.
“[Hemsworth] was in a moment where he was trying to figure out what his next thing was going to be and he stayed strong in terms of what his commitments were to various projects. I knew that he was going to be given a lot of opportunities sooner or later and I was hoping it would be off of Trek,” said Abrams.

Chris Hemsworth will be picking up the hammer in a few months as Thor is expected to start filming early next year.

Patrick Stewart talks X-Men future and Star Trek

Liam — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:01:36 +0000

Having appeared in both Star Trek and the X-Men films Patrick Stewart has become a regular at conventions over the years, and he recently attended DragonCon 09 and answered questions about both franchises.

From CNN:

When the discussion turned to “X-Men,” Stewart, who had a cameo as a younger Professor Charles Xavier in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” said that from what he had heard, audiences have probably not seen the last of the professor. He mentioned he recently co-starred in a production of “Waiting for Godot” with Ian McKellen and the two agreed that they would like continue exploring the relationship between Xavier and McKellen’s “X-Men” character Magneto.

Producer Lauren Shulder Donner said a few months ago that they couldn’t make X-Men: First Class without Patrick Stewart, so that is probably what he has heard. First Class is currently being written by Josh Schwartz and takes place during the first year at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Patrick Stewart will most likely be made to appear younger, like we saw in X3 and Wolverine.

As for that other franchise, Stewart thought that this summer’s reboot of “Star Trek” was “terrific,” but didn’t see a future for Jean-Luc Picard in the franchise, leaving open only the possibility that he would agree to do a cameo in a sequel. Stewart mentioned a proposed final “Next Generation” film, but after the disappointing box office for “Star Trek: Nemesis,” it never materialized.
“I feel that I have left behind a legacy as Picard,” he said. “In my head and heart, I’ve moved on.”

Writers may be planning Star Trek 2 and 3 at the same time!

Liam — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:58:20 +0000

Could Star Trek be be going down the Pirates of the Caribbean route? Earlier this year the Star Trek franchise was successfully rebooted and Paramount swiftly re-hired Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof to write the script for a sequel. We haven’t heard anything about what the story will involve, however during an interview with io9 writer Roberto Orci hinted that not only are they planning for Star Trek 2, but also 3!

I know there was a meeting about Star Trek a little while a go, have there been any more additional meetings at all? Any little update you can give us about the next film?
Roberto Orci: Nothing was decided [at the last meeting]. It was really about, hmmm. You know what, I’ll give you a tidbit. [They said to us] ‘We thought maybe you could do that as like 2 and 3.’

Could there be a story arc that spans the two films? Could this mean cliffhangers and back-to-back filming? Will we see less time between release dates like with the Pirates and Matrix sequels? Now is an exciting time to be a trekkie!

JJ Abrams Talks Star Trek Sequel, Cut Scenes Revealed!

Dave — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:37:02 +0000

A little burst of Star Trek sequel news for everyone, especially since there seems to be a small groundswell of journalistic activity questioning if Michael Bay is really going to step away from Transformers 3 to direct a “smaller movie.” The argument is that Transformers: ROTF stands to make Bay a butt-load of money and that a third film in inevitable. The problem is that pre-production should start in a couple of weeks to make a timely sequel, and screenwriters Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman are busy working on the upcoming Robert Downey Jr action flick, Cowboys and Aliens as well as actively being in discussions with JJ Abrams about Star Trek 2.

That’s right, stepping away from the Michael Bay question, Orci and Kurtzman have expressed interest in running away from the Transformers franchise, but have promised Paramount a draft of Star Trek 2 by this holiday season.

In a video from Collider at the Saturn Awards, Steve Weintraub asks JJ Abrams about his involvement with the Trek sequel…

[Note: You can watch the video embed, directly to the right of the title in the "media box" area, or you can CLICK HERE to check it out at the source.]

If that wasn’t enough to quench your Star Trek thirst for awhile, or if you’re still blaming Orci and Kurtzman for the failings of T: ROTF (instead of rightfully blaming the WGA Strike), check out THIS POST at TNMC that discusses the scenes cut out of the first Abrams Star Trek film, including a whole Klingon subplot…that actually makes a lot of sense.

Star Trek writers talk sequel stuff

Liam — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:07:19 +0000

I think I would be correct in saying that Star Trek has officially been ‘rebooted’, and apart from the DVD release fans are also looking forward to the sequel. Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman recently spoke to SCI FI Wire and said that they’re already thinking about the sequel, and they know their dilemma: whether to come up with an original story or go back into Trek lore to retell a story that’s been dealt with before.

“I think the major lesson we learned is that fans were willing to accept differences and surprises, provided that they were somehow echoes or inspired by canon,” Orci said in an exclusive interview earlier this month. He added: “We still have to be true to Star Trek the next time around, but we’ve also been blessed with being able to be unpredictable. And that doesn’t mean we can just be shocking for no good reason and just throw everything away. … It still has to echo everything that Star Trek has been.”
At this point, the writers don’t have a story or even a premise. “We have agreed to write another one,” Orci said. “We’re going to start thinking about it any second now. But we’re still just having a mental sorbet before we jump back in. And, you know, just seeing all the reactions to the movie. We want to make sure we take it all in and really figure out what worked and what didn’t and proceed from there. But now that we have … an open canvas, … anything can happen.”

You can read the whole interview by clicking here!

I am not a Trekkie so have no idea where they could go next time round. However, with the same writers and director i’m sure it will be in good hands.

Someone made old Star Trek look like new Star Trek

Liam — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:08:40 +0000

A few weeks ago Star Trek director J.J. Abrams spoke about the use of lens flares in the new film, saying “I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, “Oh that’s ridiculous, that was too many.” But I love the idea that the future was so bright it couldn’t be contained in the frame.” Now some fun person has taken footage from the original Star Trek series and given it a 2009 lens flare makeover. Watch below!

Star Trek fans call new Star Trek too “fun” and “watchable”

Liam — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:16:04 +0000

J.J Abram’s Star Trek reboot has been getting great reviews so far, however it appears not everyone is happy with the film:

(In case you were wondering that was The Onion, and if you know what The Onion does you’ll know it is not serious)

Zoe Saldana compares Star Trek and Avatar directors

Liam — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:54:43 +0000

There are two big sci-fi space movies being released this year and actress Zoe Saldana managed to bag a role in both of them. She will burst onto everybody’s radar with the release of Star Trek next week, and then in December we will see her again in Avatar (although it is possible we physically won’t, as she plays an alien and will be all CGI/motion-captured up). Saldana recently spoke to MTV and gave praise to the directors of both films, and she also reveals she has high hopes for James Cameron’s Avatar.

“It’s amazing for an actor to work with J.J. and Jim,” Saldana gushed. “They are similar in that they are exquisite at what they do, and they are young at heart.”
When comparing the two A-list directors, Saldana said: “J.J. has made a very important place for himself in Hollywood by being an exquisite writer. And Jim has done the same by being an amazing voyager and visionary, and a great filmmaker.”
Of the Oscar-winning Cameron, Saldana said he is the true Captain Kirk. “He goes where no man has gone before.”
The futuristic tale revolves around humans who discover life on another planet in a distant solar system, leading to a war between the two species as they go head-to-head in a battle for survival.
“‘Avatar’ by far is the most physically strenuous film I’ve ever done,” Saldana, no newbie to the biz, admitted. “A role had never challenged me to the point where it freaked me out and scared me. And ‘Avatar’ definitely did that.”
With so much riding on a film that James Cameron has been envisioning since 1997’s “Titanic” but was put on hold for almost a decade due to sky-high production costs, everyone involved seems to have a sense of nervous apprehension. “I really have high hopes for it,” Saldana explained. “Because for two years I gave every bit of me in that part.”
When asked if Saldana had seen the film, she admitted to glimpsing an early cut. “I have, yes,” she revealed, struggling to find words to describe it.
“I can’t curse so I’ll just say it looks nice,” she laughed. “What I really want to say is going to get bleeped out.”

In other Avatar related news ComingSoon spoke to Ocean’s Eleven trilogy director Steven Soderbergh who also had a few things to say about the footage he’s seen:

“I’ve seen some stuff and holy sh*t. It’s the craziest sh*t ever.

Avatar has a habit of causing people to use this type of language, or gives them the urge to. I wonder if December 19th 2009 will win the ‘most profanity used in a single day’ award.

J.J. Abrams admits some of the Star Trek lens flares are “ridiculous”

Liam — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:31:29 +0000

If you’ve seen the trailers and TV spots for J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek then you will have noticed the film contains quite a few lens flares. Personally, I think it looks quite cool, although in some cases it appears they got a little carried away, to the point where you can’t see the actors faces. Thankfully it’s not just the fans and future trekkies who have noticed the excessive flare use, director J.J. Abrams acknowledges he went a little overboard.

From io9:

I’m curious to hear more about why you decided to use so many lens flares, and exactly when you decided to use them?
[Smiles] I don’t know what you’re talking about. [Laughs] I’m kidding. I know what you’re saying with the lens flares. It was one of those things… I wanted a visual system that felt unique. I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, “Oh that’s ridiculous, that was too many.” But I love the idea that the future was so bright it couldn’t be contained in the frame.
The flares weren’t just happening from on-camera light sources, they were happening off camera, and that was really the key to it. I want [to create] the sense that, just off camera, something spectacular is happening. There was always a sense of something, and also there is a really cool organic layer thats a quality of it. They were all done live, they weren’t added later. There are something about those flares, especially in a movie that can potentially be very sterile and CG and overly controlled. There is something incredibly unpredictable and gorgeous about them.

To read the rest click here, and to see an example of the lens flares in action watch the clip below!

Chris Pine auditioned for Avatar

Liam — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:22:48 +0000

There are two big space movies being released this year. The first is J.J. Abrams Star Trek reboot, and the second is James Cameron’s Avatar. Both are looking like they will be big hits, and the lead actors in both movies have a bit of buzz surrounding them. As well as Avatar, Sam Worthington also has a large role in Terminator Salvation, and is being touted as the next big action star. Chris Pine is also getting similar attention for his role as James T. Kirk in Star Trek, however he told Vanity Fair that he actually auditioned for Avatar (possibly for the role Sam Worthington eventually won):

“There have been, like, three auditions in my life where I feel like I’m in a Saturday Night Live skit. One was for Avatar”—James Cameron’s upcoming science-fiction epic—“which was probably the worst audition I ever gave. Another was for 10,000 bc, where I was just, like, on my haunches pretending to be in a loincloth in Burbank.” Pine laughs. “Then the other one was Star Trek. It was all this jargon talk of torpedoes and photons,” which, needless to say, didn’t quite trip off the tongue. Fortunately, he got a second chance seven months later and nailed it.

Even though he didn’t land the Avatar job two things are clear: He has a good agent, and he was obviously destined to be in big sci-fi movies. There are even rumblings that he could end up playing Hal Jordan in The Green Lantern, although nothing is official yet.