By now, anyone who follows movie news on an even semi-regular basis knows about the lack of William Shatner in the next Star Trek movie. The original Captain Kirk has been all kinds of vocal about this fact, which recently led him to a spot on Cinematical's Lame in 2007 list. Now, even though production is well underway, Sci Fi Wire says that there's still a chance. It seems that Roberto Orci, the co-writer of the latest installment, says that the first Kirk could still get a spot in the film, but that it's less of a possibility. Considering the fact that it didn't sound like much of a possibility to begin with, aren't we talking about almost none from almost none?

Although Orci says that they're still trying to find a way, they've struggled with the Trek sticklers and how to deal with Kirk's death in Star Trek VII. Now things are further complicated by the writers' strike -- they can't make script changes until the whole thing is settled. To me, it seems like they're just trying to appease Shatner as much as possible, although I don't see why. The way everyone is talking, you'd think that they're trying to figure out how to write a vampire into an historic war drama or something.

If they want to have Shatner at least pop up, without being able to write it into the script, they could always have Kirk look in a mirror, or some reflective surface and see Shatner, and what Kirk will become. Back when they could still mess around with the script, it wouldn't have been hard for Spock to muse about what his life would be like had Kirk not died, or the Vulcan seeing the different crew members morphing into his once-friends. Or heck, even a daydream where he talks with an imagined Kirk about whatever his role is in the film. But the "possibility" will probably just sit there until the production is finished, and when the Enterprise zooms onto the big screen once again, it will be without Shat.

Let's go where no movie marketing has ever gone before ...

Have the first pics of Chris Pine as Captain Kirk arrived online? JFXOnline, who have apparently been camped out around the Star Trek XI set since filming began, claimed to have snapped photos of who they believe is Chris Pine in his Kirk costume. Said costume, in case you were wondering, is all red -- and it kinda looks like the sort of thing Santa would wear under his big, heavy coat. Anyway, the photos, which also include shots of a girl they claim is an Orion Slave Girl (kinky!), are pretty blurry. And JFXOnline insists on throwing up this watermark to block the pics even more. But it's definitely a guy in the pics ... and he's definitely wearing a lot of red. Captain Kirk or some guy doing the Walk of Shame following a holiday party that got way too out of control? You make the call.

So you know all that Cloverfield and Slusho stuff? How a bunch of viral sites pimping this weird Japanese drink called Slusho have popped online, and how we all thought it had something to do with Cloverfield? Yeah, apparently not. Slashfilm tells us that, based on a bunch of early screenings, Slusho doesn't appear anywhere in the film (except on a water bottle or something). Yup. No Slusho in Cloverfield. So if it's not in Cloverfield, then what the hell is Slusho? Well, Slashfilm claims it might be part of another project J.J. Abrams is working on, and that for some odd reason the two got mixed up because a) Bad Robot is involved in both and b) the whole Japanese angle lead lots to believe Slusho had something to do with Godzilla, which, in turn, was believed to be the monster featured in Cloverfield. Yeah ... no. And if that's the case, then why hasn't J.J. Abrams come out and said something by now? Why? Because the guy loves f**king with people. And if we're completely off course, then that means we're nowhere near the stuff he's actually hiding. Bastard. Abrams is like the kid who would hide in the most insane spots during Hide & Seek as a kid. You'd be behind a bush, and he'd find a way to hide on top of a roof somewhere. Cloverfield arrives on January 18.

I'm still holding out for the surprise announcement that William Shatner will indeed appear in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. In the meantime, though, I expect to hear another complaint from the original Captain Kirk after reading this juicy bit of goodness: George Takei has a cameo in the upcoming movie*, which will be a prequel-ish reboot of the TV and movie franchise. According to a Starburst magazine interview with the actor, Takei will feature in a flash-forward scene that will also showcase original Spock, Leonard Nimoy. From the sound of it, he will be returning to his iconic role as an older version of Sulu. Best guess is that Takei and Nimoy will be sitting in futuristic rocking chairs reminiscing about their beginnings at the Starfleet Academy, and this scene will be the prologue to the rest of the movie. Playing the younger versions of Sulu and Spock throughout the rest of the film are John Cho and Zachary Quinto, respectively.

Well, if Shatner doesn't put up more of a fuss, the fans should. After all, as long as we're getting two of the surviving original cast members, why can't we get the rest? Sure, it would be a sad scene, considering DeForest Kelley (Bones) and James Doohan (Scotty) aren't around to be a part of such a reunion, but the Trekkies would certainly appreciate seeing Nichelle Nichols (Uhuru), Walter Koenig and of course Shatner together again. Am I right? They could all have a few laughs while yelling at the kids to get off their damn lawns. And we could all feel better about having to accept all new actors as these beloved characters. So, who is going to start the online petition? Oh wait, that's already been done.

*UPDATE: Apparently this is just another rumor, one that has been debunked. According to TrekMovie.com, Takei will not have a cameo in the new Star Trek.

We already knew that Chris Pine was in talks to star as Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams upcoming Star Trek XI, but up until now we haven't had official confirmation. "In talks" can mean a lot of things, and if the recent almost-casting of Jessica Biel in the Justice League of America movie means anything, it's that you should never take "in talks" as proof the actor or actress has landed the role. Over on his blog, Smokin' Joe Carnahan (who was vying for Pine to star in White Jazz) confirms the actor will not be taking on the role of Junior Stemmons in Jazz. Why? Well, that's because he's opted to go for Trek.

Here it is, straight from Carnahan himself: "The young man playing Junior Stemmons has opted to 'go where no man has gone before' and thus, had to bow out of WHITE JAZZ. I've been talking to him this past week and knew how tough the decision had to be for him. I don't envy ever being in that spot but I gave him my full support, even if it meant he didn't do JAZZ. I get it. You don't get opportunities like that often and I told him as long as he could control as much of that process as possible and not get sucked into doing lesser sequels as a result of taking this gig, then good luck and God bless. We're sure to do something down the road. I've already slotted him in for KILLING PABLO." So there you have it -- Chris Pine will indeed be starring as Captain Kirk in Star Trek XI (according to Carnahan, that is), and instead of placing him in Jazz, the director has instead found a part for him in Killing Pablo. No word on what that part is, but it looks like Pine's stock just shot straight up. I guess there was a reason why he starred opposite Lindsay Lohan in a film called Just My Luck -- and, as ironic as it might seem, the premise of that film is, like, totally becoming true.

Chris Pine as Captain Kirk? Whadyya think?

Though it's been a relatively slow process, the Star Trek XI is starting to come together. Variety reports that Eric Bana has landed the role of villain in the film, which will be some sort of re-boot -- a "when they were young" Star Trek, kind of like when a character opens up a high school yearbook, notices their first crush and has a flashback. Variety has no other details regarding Bana's character, however Star Trek.com claims his name in the film will be 'Nero.' Also cast in the film thus far are Anton Yelchin (Chekov), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhuru) and Leonard Nimoy. Production is set to begin this November, which means more casting is currently underway.

And that brings us to Captain Kirk. The Hollywood Reporter tells us this morning that Chris Pine is in talks to take on the role of Kirk; a guy whose only other major role came opposite Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck. (And here's where I should say, "Looks like his luck is about to change ..." ) I'm not too familiar with Pine, as I'm sure you're not either, so I can't say whether he's right for the role. Variety had said folks were chasing a big-name actor for the roles of villain and Captain Kirk, but Pine is hardly a big-name actor. As it stands right now, this is a pretty interesting cast, and not the one I expected after guys like Matt Damon and Adrien Brody were originally reported to be up for the roles of Kirk and Spock. I love the choice to go with Bana as villain (the guy seems as if he was born to play a Star Trek villain), and I like the Quinto casting move, but the others I'm iffy about. How do you feel about this Star Trek cast?

Let's see now, we've got a Spock, a Uhura and a Chekov. We still need a Kirk, a Scott, a McCoy ("Bones") and a Sulu. I feel like I'm collecting trading cards, but really I'm just anxiously awaiting more Star Trek news. The new sorta-prequel (aka Star Trek XI) is set to begin filming soon, so it's about time J.J. Abrams finds the rest of his cast. Or, if he's already found his stars, it's about time Paramount announced them. At least the rumors and unconfirmed choices continue to float around the net. In fact, this morning we have two fairly reliable sources reporting new names to place in the Kirk and Scott slots.

The investigative team over at IESB got word that Mike Vogel (Poseidon) is the front-runner to fill William Shatner's shoes in the role of James T. Kirk. The site attempted to confirm the rumor with both Paramount and Vogel's agents, but obviously neither would comment. But IESB did get a hint of nervousness from the latter, Gersh Agency, which was curious about where this news had come from. The way IESB's Robert Sanchez relays the encounter, it does sound like a slight, accidental confirmation. But we'll see. Vogel (who makes me think of Superbad's Fogel) is also co-starring in the Abrams-produced monster movie coming in January -- you know, Cloverfield, 1-18-08 or whatever it will be titled -- so at least we know the actor has an in with the director.

Wayyy back in February, IGN claimed Matt Damon, Adrien Brody and Gary Sinise were the major frontrunners for the three lead roles in Star Trek XI. Damon, of course, would be playing a young Captain Kirk, with Brody as a young Spock and Sinise as a young Dr. McCoy. Well, with only a few days until those much-anticipated Star Trek casting announcements are (hopefully) unveiled at San Diego ComicCon, IGN sat down to ask Damon once and for all if he had landed the part of Kirk. Granted, we're fully aware that if he did land the part, there's no way he would reveal that to IGN during a Bourne Ultimatum junket when, supposedly, director J.J. Abrams is holding out for ComicCon -- but it's always worth a try.

So what did he say? Judging by the title of this post, I have a feeling you already know. Yes, Damon chalked it all up to wild internet speculation and, while he'd be honored to play Captain Kirk, the actor claims he's simply too old for the role. Damon does admit that he's spoken with Abrams about the film, and claims the director is looking for an actor in his early 20s. On the contrary, Damon says that if they do the progression (meaning, in a future film Kirk is older), then "maybe I can play him." All of that being said, it's interesting to watch Damon and his reaction to the question in IGN's video interview. I once watched a show that pointed out the ways in which you can tell someone is lying, and based on Damon's movements, there's a chance he may be fibbing a bit in his answer. First, he swallows a few times, scratches his face at one point (a big tell), and looks down a number of times as if he's trying to think of what to say. While I'm fairly convinced he won't be playing Kirk, Damon himself didn't do a fabulous job answering the question. But you be the judge. Star Trek XI is scheduled to hit theaters on Christmas Day, 2008.

Movie memorabilia is an incredible after-market for popular films. Sites exist all over the internet offering to sell you pieces of your favorite film in exchange for large (sometimes mind-blowingly large) sums of your hard-earned cash. Additionally, fancy auction houses will feature big old-fashioned auctions of the non-internet variety* where you can go and enjoy the excitement of raising a little wooden paddle in the air before trading your piles of cash for a James Bond moonbuggy or Charlie Chaplin's cane.

Christie's auction house in New York is just such a place, and they recently held a Star Trek event featuring over 1000 pieces of Trek related swag from all incarnations of the franchise (read a more detailed report here). After a full three days of waving wooden paddles and cutting huge checks, geeks from across the globe went home more than $7 million poorer, but clutching onto such fabulous pieces of movie history as Dr. McCoy's spacesuit from "The Tholian Web" episode ($144,000), a model Klingon ship from The Search for Spock ($307,000), and and Enterprise-D model from TNG ($576,000). Seriously, who on earth has over half a million bucks to spend on a toy spaceship? We may never know, because the winner of that one (a private American bidder) is undisclosed. The total take on the auction was more than twice what had been anticipated.

If you could have bid on and bought any piece of Star Trek history, what would it be?

*You know ... what they did in the pre-Ebay days.

The rumor mongering regarding the next Star Trek has been fast and furious for quite some time now. Back in June, word surfaced that Matt Damon was being considered for the role of a young Captain Kirk -- the part originated by William Shatner -- piggybacking on the popular rumor suggesting the new flick feature a young Kirk and Spock in Starfleet Academy. At a press junket in New York, IESB flagged Damon down and questioned him about the summer rumor. Damon denied everything, saying he'd heard nothing about the part. His publicist jumped in to explain what had happened: According to the publicist, director Abrams had mentioned Damon's name during a Q&A as a response to a generic "what actors would you like the chance to work with some day" sort of question, and the rumor grew from there. To drive the point home, the publicist noted that not only has Damon heard nothing, Paramount has heard nothing, the publicist has heard nothing, and Endeavor (Damon's agency) has heard nothing. This covers the field rather well, so I suppose we can officially take Damon's name out of the rumor mill, at least for now.

Tales of a return to their roots for William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy may be highly exaggerated, according to Shatner himself. Despite numerous reports of Shatner and Nimoy heavily hinting the possibility during Chicago's recent Star Trek convention, Shatner now looks to be disavowing all knowledge of a reunion. What follows is the text of a post made by William Shatner on the WilliamShatner.com message boards this Thursday:

"There are lots of underground rumblings about STAR TREK. Some of it is burbling, some of it is barely noticeable. I know nothing except that where there's rumblings, there's gas and in this case, the gas is coming from JJ Abrams and none of it seems to be directed in my direction. If any gas comes my way, I will post it immediately and you all will know. Until then, hold your breath--because this gas is odiferous.
My Best, Bill"

That would certainly seem to be a very good indication of events since it came straight from the horse's mouth, as they say. So what really is the truth when it comes to J.J. Abrams and his efforts to bring Captain Kirk back into the Star Trek fold? Abrams seems convinced it will happen, and although Shatner reportedly alluded strongly to it himself, he is now denying any current plans. Stay tuned to Cinematical for further events as this complicated relationship unfolds.