More Sources Say Quinto's Role As Spock Is a Lock
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Paramount, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, ComicCon
Earlier this month, Erik reported somewhat skeptically on a casting rumor for the upcoming Star Trek XI movie. The film will be a prequel of sorts, focusing on the early days of James T. Kirk (looking less likely to be Matt Damon, but never say never), and Mr. Spock. Some sources were reporting that Zachary Quinto, the evil, forehead-slicing Sylar on NBC's Heroes, was circling Spock -- the role originally made famous by Leonard Nimoy. All that was officially known were some quotes he made last December -- "I missed the Superman Returns boat ... so I'm angling for Star Trek. People are constantly telling me I bear some resemblance to Leonard Nimoy." Quinto's casting now seems to be pretty much a lock. The film's producer and director, JJ Abrams, is supposed to announce the Star Trek cast at Comic-Con, and if today's news is to be believed, Quinto will be on that list.
E! Online is reporting that "the deal is about to close. Best. Casting. Ever." A source there confirms that "the Zachary Quinto-as-Spock contract is with the business affairs team at Paramount. Business affairs is generally considered the last stop on the deal-negotiation train. The deal only awaits sign-off from outside counsel." As far as appearance goes, Quinto is definitely a solid choice. Star Trek certainly has some fans in the Heroes camp and vice versa, so the decision makes perfect business sense. But are you guys excited about the choice? I'm not enough of a Trekkie to really have a strong opinion either way. I like Quinto on the show, but I will say I find Heroes to be just about the most overrated program on television. It's like Sominex to me. Everyone loves to gripe about Lost, but I don't think Heroes is fit to shine Lost's shoes. Stay tuned to Cinematical for full coverage of the Trek cast announcement and all the other Comic-Con happenings. Look for the new Star Trek film on Christmas Day 2008.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-24-2007 @ 1:26PM
sean said...
I hate this.
Heroes is Lost-lite, with inane plots, crappy acting, and paper-thin characterization. Quinto's character (and acting) on the show have not impressed me one bit -- he's smarmy and hammy, and I don't see a hint of the mutedness that Spock would need. Never say never, but I'm not optimistic.
At this rate, we're probably going to end up with James van der Beek as Kirk or something equally horrible.
(Yes, I'm a Trekkie, one that's open to recasting if it's done right, and one that was initially ecstatic about Abrams taking over -- I still have my fingers crossed, but I'm getting worried).
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7-24-2007 @ 1:52PM
RP said...
"he's smarmy and hammy, and I don't see a hint of the mutedness that Spock would need"
"That's why they call it acting."
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7-24-2007 @ 3:39PM
ML said...
After Heroes, it's hard to picture Quinto as having the chops to do a really good Spock; at least to handle the kind of script I'd hope to see. However, Heroes has been uneven and I don't believe that it has made the most of its talent. For example, I know that Adrian Pasdar has the ability to compel, but hasn't been provided with many opportunities to truly show what he can do in Heroes. Perhaps the same is true for Quinto. Yet, he was the villain ... hm. Well, I'll just try to keep an open mind and hope for the best.
As for appearance ... what, because he has a long face and similar facial proportions? Believe me, there isn't that much resemblance there. I don't need to see a dead ringer, anyway. I'd rather see someone who brings across the spirit than the look.
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7-24-2007 @ 4:01PM
chuck said...
I watch Lost and Heroes but really both are "popcorn shows", with Lost maybe having a little more depth but nothing to blow your hatches over. As to who can be a young Spock- the answer probably depends more on the script than the actor.
And lets not argue the quality of Star Trek in any of its forms (all of which I watched more times than I would like to admit).
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7-24-2007 @ 10:22PM
Ralph said...
What ML said about spirit over appearance. I wouldn't care if they went ethnic with Spock, as long as it was Spock. (For the record, though I just about never watched it, I thought Tim Ross (I think that's the actor) was about the best Vulcan (as Tuvok) outside of Leonard Nimoy.)
But do *not* mess with the design of my starship. :)
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