William Shatner Still Peeved He's Not in New 'Star Trek' Film
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
CNN is reporting that William Shatner is upset at not being asked to appear in J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek film. Adding insult to injury, the original Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is on board. I guess you could say the Shat has hit the fan. "I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me," says Shatner. "I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision." I think Shatner may be overestimating his box office popularity here, but I certainly think that if you're going to have Nimoy, you need to have Shatner. No?Director Abrams originally had said Shatner would likely play a role, but the pair had a couple of meetings that led to nothing. Chris Pine (Smokin' Aces) is playing the young Captain Kirk. Heroes' Zachary Quinto is playing the young Spock, and we don't know much about Nimoy's role in the movie other than that "there's going to be a sense of guidance in this film and beyond." Shatner says simply, "Having been in on the creation of it, I was hoping to be in on the re-creation." I think the guy's got a point. If I had to guess, perhaps Abrams is trying to make a serious, non-jokey Trek film, and the presence of Shatner would upset that balance? Shatner has become more of a comedic figure these days, with his work on Boston Legal and appearances like his Comedy Central Roast. What do you guys think?










Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-28-2007 @ 11:40AM
Ivan said...
I can understand not giving him a major role, he's not an amazing actor.
And even a cameo would be cheesey.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 11:47AM
MXS said...
Are you sure Shatner isn't just having fun with all of us? It would fit right in with his character.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 12:07PM
soundoftheground said...
why is shatner crying news?
cameo's from the actors who's characters are being portrayed by new actors is a lame idea anyway. why would i want to see the young kirk or spock then suddenly the actors who played those characters decades ago suddenly show up? weak.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 12:15PM
Luke G. said...
Well, Vulcans, or even half-Vulcans like Spock, are supposed to be able to live an incredibly long time. So you could still have Spock alive many decades after the events of the original series, whereas Kirk was merely human.
[/nerd]
Reply
11-02-2007 @ 2:24PM
Sharon said...
They have to put William Shatner in. He is a wack-a-doodle, but truly entertaining and funny. I don't think he should be the star, but a humorous role, surprise us. We will love it and be entertained.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 12:41PM
Sharon said...
The best Star Treks were serious but always, always had that little bit of humor. Deep space nine was my least favorite, I liked the characters but it was way too serious. Star Trek the Next Generation was the best and there was always that dry humor. The original Star Trek had more humor than any of them, between Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. Leonard Nimoy and Scotty. I don't want to see a star trek 'comedy' but you have to have some humor or it is not Star Trek.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 1:02PM
Jim said...
So is this what it means to "cut the Shat?"
soundoftheground does have a good point, although I think if you're not going to have the older Kirk character then you shouldn't have Spock either. It makes no sense.
And why would anyone want to see a totally serious Star Trek. Bleh.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 1:26PM
Mr. R said...
Shatner is the man, this is an insult. Obviously, this is a prequel to the entire series so why not make him a general or congressman or what ever. I am going to hate this movie if the Shat is not in!!!! I hope they get lost in space, long live Shatner!
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 2:18PM
superbagman said...
It makes sense, continuity-wise that Shatner and Kirk are not in this film. If the old Spock stuff takes place in the future then Kirk is dead. Since Malcolm McDowell killed him in Generations. So, unless Kirk is back as a zombie....
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 2:21PM
Curt said...
He did die superbagman, but technically he's also still in the Nexus. It exists outside of time, so you could go in and get kirk over and over again.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 2:50PM
AJ said...
"why is shatner crying news?"
because now we have proof that he wasn't asked to return before was just speculation.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 4:22PM
Janice said...
Shatner or no Shatner, isn't it time to give the
Star Trek series its proper burial? Yes, it was wonderfully entertaining for years but good grief, enough is enough!
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 4:24PM
Tim said...
To quote George Takei...
Addressing Shatner:
"Bill, your acting is the only thing that makes me want to gag. If I could only get my partner to suck that hard, I'd never leave my chateau."
Reference: George's Roasting of William Shatner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x88yskz1p4M
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 4:33PM
Wisconsin Cheesehead said...
To quote George Takei, addressing Shatner (At the Roast of William Shatner:
"Bill, your acting is the only thing that makes me want to gag. If I could only get my partner to suck that hard, I'd never leave my chateau."
Video Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x88yskz1p4M
Reply
10-29-2007 @ 2:04AM
Gilbert Davis said...
Shatner should be in the movie. If you are going to take a franchise, especially a franchise as uniquely successful as Star Trek and not have the class to give a tip of the hat to the actors who created the franchise you certainly won't get the support of the fans. They won't get a dime out of me and a lot of other folks who have loved the franchise won't bother with it either.
Reply
10-29-2007 @ 9:58AM
John said...
OK, first, the new movie is supposed to be a "prequel" to the original series. So, how Nimoy figures in the movie is probably unrelated to Spock, except maybe as some Vulcan sage. Second, Shatner's comments only proves how egotistical he is. Jimmy Doohan (Scotty) hated Shatner because he was so egotistical. Shatner would actually convince directors or the writers to get other actors lines dropped or added to his part. Yet, Shatner to this day still doesn't understand why Doohan hated him so. So, cry away Shat, nobody cares anymore.
Reply
10-29-2007 @ 12:00PM
growlfood said...
I think the problem is as follows: characters like Starbuck, Starsky and Hutch, Marsha Brady whatever that have recently been remade were (a) beloved by many, yes, but 20 to 30 years old in terms of the last time we saw them and (b) not nearly of the importance in terms of TV history. This is among one of the few characters that transcends the medium so that folks all around the world are aware of Kirk -- the franchise certainly owes it's existence to this character and Shatner's portrayal -- more generally, science fiction as "mainstream" likely does as well (along with the slightly more recent Star Wars). This is not a trekkie's wet dream -- the character and franchise have impacted the world at some non-trivial level. What is quite different here is that Shatner himself has played Kirk more recently so that he grew older with the character unlike these others. So, it's not a matter of putting him in some goofy cameo where he plays Kirk's dad or some crap like that. I think there are many that feel either he should play the role or it should simply not be played at all. Ok, so that's an argument that ultimately isn't going to matter since they are making the movie one way or the other. That said, if there is a "reflection scene" (which I must assume Nimoy is going to do since he is playing the actual character of Spock according to imdb.com), why not also include the actor who is to many/most fans Kirk anyway? Since they are doing a prequel anyway, there is nothing that requires the reflection scene to take place after "Generations" in the 24th century. Last, Shatner clearly has a rep for both an inflated ego and a remarkable ability to self-parody, but he plays Kirk straight. He is not a great dramatic actor, but he is great as Kirk.
Reply
10-29-2007 @ 12:57PM
John said...
I stand corrected. IMDB does indeed list Nimoy as Spock. That being the case, I still don't care Shatner's not in the new movie. Let him cry all he wants. You don't hear Takei, Koenig, or Nichols boo-hooing in public about no cameos.
Reply
10-29-2007 @ 2:13PM
Vince said...
I believe that Shat is being paid back for all the years he dismissed the Trekkers as goofy fans. Anybody remember the protests after he appeared on SNL making fun of the fans? That said, I would still like to see him in some fashion reprise the role even as a cameo if he plays it straight. W/O Bill, there was no franchise.
Reply
10-30-2007 @ 2:29PM
Saleem Siddiqui said...
It is kinda sad seeing Old Kirk not get the role. Not even a Cameo?
I may be like Shatner having to finally deal with the reality of his mortality.
Kirk dealing with the concept of death and the Kobayashi Maru.
Read my blog about Star Trek and listen to an audio podcast analyzing the original episode Specter of the Gun
http://www.hotconflict.com/blog/2007/10/j-j-abrams-pick.html
Reply