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.

Welcome back to The Write Stuff! I'm thrilled that there is such a strong interest in screenwriting out there. Thank you all so much for your comments last week, both here and on my site. All of your questions and comments will be addressed in the coming weeks, so stay tuned and keep them coming!

The first interview for the column is with red-hot screenwriter Adam F. Goldberg. Adam is living the dream. He writes for both television and film, and his upcoming movie projects include Fanboys, the live-action Jetsons movie, and They Came from Upstairs. Cinematical spoke with the incredibly busy Goldberg about his scripts, his process, and Goonies: The Musical.

Cinematical: You said you were being "enslaved by a director," what are you working on? And should I call the authorities?

Adam F. Goldberg: Perhaps call them for my hacky writing! It's called They Came From Upstairs for Fox. It's a family movie, kinda like Gremlins -- but with aliens. The spec was written by Mark Burton and was sold for like $1.7 mil. I believe I am making about .0001212 of that. It's been a really cool project. The movie was in pre-production and the studio realized the script wasn't ready and shut it down pretty late in the game. I came aboard to get the train back on the tracks which is always high pressure and very difficult to do. I handed in 40 pages and they re-greenlit the movie and we're casting and location scouting now. I'm on draft two currently, working next to the director and bringing his vision into it.

Cinematical: Is that an awkward process at all -- being brought in to re-write a fellow writer? Do you ever run into hurt feelings or bruised egos? I guess the $1.7 million makes the pill easier to swallow.

AFG: Well, I come from the TV world, writing on sitcoms and that's very collaborative. You have to sit in the room and watch 10 other writers tear apart your script right in front of you. That bruises your ego. As for movies, more often than not a writer can only go so far and it's your job to bat clean up. It's never a great feeling to have your screenplay rewritten, but hopefully you've moved onto your next project, so it doesn't sting so much. And believe me, that $1.7 payday is like winning the lottery. I hope I can sell a spec one day. I've had little luck in that department.

An article in the New York Times from this past weekend spotlights Transformers screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who confess that they originally wanted to make films like Godard's. Well, some of the movies they have worked on may feature ridiculous editing patterns, but having written films like The Island and Mission: Impossible III, they didn't quite go in the direction they'd planned. Still, one thing they keep in mind on every script they write together is that they need to have a good story first and foremost, and that story has to be accessible to audiences who may not be familiar with the particular franchise or brand they're working on. This was an important thing to keep in mind with Transformers and it will be an important thing to keep in mind with Star Trek XI, which comes out Christmas 2008. We've already heard that the movie will be a prequel, detailing Kirk and Spock's early days at the Academy, and that it will be geared toward non-Trekkies, but the Times article makes me believe that Orci, a long-time Trek fan, and Kurtzman will be able to please the die-hards while also welcoming in the newbies.

I've never been a big Star Trek fan, but I have greatly enjoyed some of the television episodes and films that didn't make me feel like a totally lost beginner. The first Trek film I ever saw was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which I loved, mostly because I was a sea-life-obsessed kid. It really helped me out that it was a present-day, Earth-based story, which could have been the plot of a non-Trek movie. And for a short time, I thought I could maybe get into the whole Trek universe. I didn't, though, and I've still never seen all the movies, but I recently watched Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan for the first time in twenty years, and as much as I appreciate why it is so revered, I still felt like I was on the outside looking in. So, I'm really looking forward to what Orci and Kurtzman and director J.J. Abrams come up with for the new Star Trek movie. It may not be for Trekkies, but it probably won't turn off any of the fans, and it may just make new ones out of some of us.

We should have more on the next Star Trek movie once ComicCon begins next month. Stay tuned.

Things are apparently moving forward quickly with Star Trek XI -- IESB.net is reporting that at the L.A. junket for Transformers, screenwriter Roberto Orci told the roundtablers to expect some major announcements (presumably about casting) at this year's ComicCon. He said the casting process is going on right now, and that some significant decisions are going to be made soon. He also told the journalists that the film is scheduled to begin shooting in November. Up to now, there has been nothing more than educated (and uneducated) guesses about who could possibly lead this thing. Names that have been bandied about include Matt Damon, Gary Sinise, Jennifer Garner and James McAvoy, but nothing solid has developed.

The only credible info we have on the project is that it's being produced and directed by J.J. Abrams, written by Orci and Alex Kurtzman and will feature a storyline that revolves around the early days of James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock. We also know that it's going to be less geared toward traditional Star Trek fans than the previous film series and more towards a general, 'non-Trekker' audience. Paramount apparently has no qualms about this, given the lackluster box-office for the recent Star Trek films. The film has a tentative release date of Christmas Day, 2008. Finally, there's also been a persistent rumor that the title they want to go with is, simply, Star Trek.

Forget everything you know, or think you know, about action movies based on toys and comic books because Michael Bay's Transformers is going to blow you away! Ok, how was that? I'm trying a new thing here and being optimistic about upcoming comic book/sci-fi films instead of displaying my usual pessimism that most of them will, sadly, suck pretty hard -- especially ones directed by anyone with the name Bay, Schumacher, Johnson or Pitof.

However, I know many of you are actually excited to see Transformers when it hits theaters on July 4th and would be thrilled for any glimpse of the movie beforehand to whet your appetite for all the Transformery goodness. Fortunately, thanks to the folks at Yahoo Movies, you can now get several glimpses of hot transformer action because they've put up some exclusive photos, trailers, behind-the-scenes clips and other sure-to-please tidbits for you. Heck, they have so much Transformers content for you they've even posted an interview with the film's writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and a video where fans in Austin talk about how much they're excited for the film.

In truth, after seeing the trailers and looking at the pics -- Optimus Prime looks great -- its pretty hard to maintain my usual skepticism, at least about this particular movie -- rather lame fan interview video notwithstanding. In spite of my reservations, the movie looks pretty damn cool and I will no doubt be one of the teeming masses heading out to watch it on opening day. That is, unless I can snag a screening earlier. Anyone wanna hook me up? I promise to say something nice about the film -- especially if Mr. Bay is there.

I hate thinking about the apocalypse. I used to have recurring nightmares about the end of the world, and despite world events seeming hopeless these days I'd like to think the end is not actually nigh. Other people, however, are happy to discuss the apparently inevitable apocalypse, as well as how it will happen and when. According to Whitley Strieber, author and alien abductee, the end of the world will come in 2012, and he has a book about it coming out in September. TMZ has the scoop that Warner Bros. already has plans to turn the book into a movie and Michael Bay has been set up to produce.

It isn't definite if Bay will also direct, but Transformers screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have apparently been hired to adapt it for the screen. I'll admit that I was once a big UFO buff and I even went to a Strieber book signing, but after awhile my fascination died, partially because everything was getting so depressing. Strieber, for instance, is not just now becoming apocalyptic; he was a co-author of the book that The Day After Tomorrow was based on (he also wrote the film's novelization). I know that one had nothing to do with aliens, but Strieber isn't solely known for his abduction books. He also wrote the horror novels that became Wolfen and The Hunger. There is no synopsis given for his new book, which is called 2012: The War for Souls, but supposedly some UFO theorists believe aliens will invade Earth in 2012.

However, Strieber has previously written an article about the year and our fate in it that has nothing to do with aliens. Instead it references a famous Mayan prophecy and discusses more environmental catastrophes a la The Day After Tomorrow. Whatever the plot of the book and movie, though, it is sure to make me nervous, especially if I think too much about it.

[via Hollywood Wiretap]