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.

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?

Word from The Hollywood Reporter is that New Zealand actor Karl Urban has joined the cast of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek re-start. Fans of fantastical cinema will no doubt remember Urban from his work in Lord of the Rings, The Bourne Supremacy, Doom, The Chronicles of Riddick and Pathfinder. Mr. Urban will be playing medical officer "Bones" McCoy, a character made famous by the late DeForest Kelley. Plot details are still being kept under wraps, but here's what the all-new Enterprise crew looks like...

Captain Kirk (previously played by William Shatner) -- Chris Pine (27 years old)
Spock (Leonard Nimoy) -- Zachary Quinto (30)
Sulu (George Takei) -- John Cho (35)
McCoy (DeForest Kelley) -- Karl Urban (35)
Scotty (James Doohan) -- Simon Pegg (37)
Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) -- Zoe Saldana (29)
Chekov (Walter Koenig) -- Anton Yelchin (18)


...and Eric Bana as the villainous Nero. (With a special appearance from Leonard Nimoy!) Production on the film is expected to run from November to March. So what do you think of the whole crew?

Also, feel free to pick through our numerous reports on this flick. Like right here, here and here.

In case you missed it during our liveblogged coverage of ComicCon's Paramount panel, here's the new teaser poster for Star Trek (click on it for a bigger image). If you missed the coverage altogether, you can go back and check it out (including the Paramount photo gallery) -- actually, you must go and check it out. It was awesome. And I rarely think things are awesome. Also, for those who did follow live, we've since put up the photo coverage, which you might not have seen yet (including a pic of Karen Allen on the Indiana Jones IV set!!)

Anyway, during the Star Trek portion of the panel, the forthcoming film's director, J.J. Abrams, officially revealed that Heroes' Zachary Quinto is going to play a young Spock. And then, after introducing Quinto, he brought out Leonard Nimoy, who will also be playing Spock. Like JoBlo.com, a lot of you probably got the idea that Nimoy would be bookending the new movie, which would serve as a sort of flashback. But considering Abrams also mentioned that he hasn't figured out yet how to get William Shatner into the movie (so he doesn't feel snubbed), JoBlo's reminiscing plot doesn't seem likely. The other big news revealed during the panel is that Abrams has still not found his young Kirk. And he was apparently looking for ideas from the audience. I wonder if he got any feedback.

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.

The rumor mill has been going crazy recently about the upcoming Star Trek prequel. Beyond the issues over William Shatner's snub, rumors have been circulating that Zachary Quinto, otherwise known as the evil, sinister and head-slicing Sylar on Heroes, is in talks to play Spock. While the buzz has this air of bull-***, he really is a great choice to play the role. I'm not sure that there is another guy out there now (unless they opt for an unknown) who is more visually-suited to the role. And heck, he's done a great job as Sylar, so he's got some talent beyond the well-matched face.

In an attempt to get to the bottom of these rumors, IGN talked to the star at a press tour in Beverly Hills. To say that Quinto was being elusively cheeky is a bit of an understatement. He's quoted as saying: "I love these rumors, I think anything we can do to keep these going is good. But I'm definitely here [at NBC's All-Star Party] because of the show and that's what I'm relating to most these days, and whatever exists down the line remains to be seen." So, they ask him straight-out: "you're not talking to anyone specifically about this role?" Quinto's response: "I'm talking to you about it right now, my friend. I'm talking to you about this role, right now." Ah, cheeky monkey. So, this really says nothing for the validity of the rumors. He could be cashing in on some terribly-false buzz and having fun with it, or he's being elusive because the big Trek casting news is set to be released at Comic-Con in San Diego next week.