Lots of Star Trek love (and hate) flying around the internets today, as Leonard Nimoy spills some pretty big beans, a scooper claims to have read the shooting script and another person says they've seen footage. First off, Slashfilm reports (via CBS 2 in Los Angeles) that Leonard Nimoy (who'll be reprising his role as an older Spock for this new film) admitted there will be more than two Spocks in the J.J. Abrams-directed flick. He says, "I am Spock, and there is another Spock and there is another Spock. There are a total of three Spocks in the movie and that is all I will say about it." And who is that third Spock you might ask? Well, most likely it'll be a baby Spock, or a really young Spock -- the one they use in scenes with Winona Ryder, who was cast as Spock's mother. Not a big spoiler, I don't think, but it does seem more and more like this is Spock's movie.

Moving on, a couple super spy scoopers wrote into AICN; one claims to have read the shooting script, and one says they saw footage. There's lots of little spoilers included in both of their reports, but I will say the guy who read the script went off on screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. An example: "While this may sound okay, the way it's written is so ham fisted that it makes the TRANSFORMERS script read like Shakespeare." And some more: "The dialogue is about on par with their past works and some of the liberties they've taken are insanely sloppy." And one more nugget: "The problem with the script is all its blatant inconsistency with things in the TREK canon, not to be innovative... but because Kurtzman and Orci are lousy writers and have zero feel for Roddenberry's universe, even when attempting to reboot it."

The guy who claims to have seen footage was a bit nicer. Here's a taste: "By the way when I saw the new look of the Enterprise, I just wanted to go out and buy a model kit of that or something. I'm quite sure it will get as much positive response as the Milennium Falcon did. Yes, the stuff is that detailed." Feel free to head on over to AICN to read the rest, as I don't want to spoil too much, but if you ask me it seems we'll be getting the Star Trek version of Transformers -- hardcore fans will hate it, but Abrams will gain a whole bunch of new, younger fans who may help turn this puppy into a fresh re-booted franchise for the new millennium. Star Trek XI is due out Christmas Day.

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.

Spock, Riddick and T-Bag walked into a bar ...

According to TrekMovie, as well an official listing on the man's site, 59-year-old British actor Ben Cross has landed the part of Sarek (aka Spock's pop) in the new J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek XI. Heroes star Zachary Quinto will play Spock and Winona Ryder is playing Spock's mom, Amanda Grayson. Hmmm ... Yeah, I assume they've worked it all out, so I won't ask any questions. Cross has appeared in dozens of films over the years, most recently in War, Inc., and is likely best known for his starring role in Chariots of Fire. The character of Sarek was originally played by Mark Lenard.

Over on his website, director David Twohy tells fans he's down for making another Riddick flick, though he left out the part about the first (or should I say second) film not living up to the hype ... at all. Here's what he has to say: "All I can say now is "We're talking about it." The DVD numbers were really good - we know that, and some potential financiers know that. But if another movie surfaces, it probably won't be a Universal movie and probably will be an independent movie. Which means we'll have to make it for substantially less than the last installment." I'll throw out a number for ya: How about zero? [via Dark Horizons]

Those of you Prison Break fans out there should be very aware of the villain T-Bag (as played by Robert Knepper). Ya know, he's the slimy a**hole you just wish would go away. Die T-Bag! Die already! Anyway, according to a story in the Denver Post, Knepper has made a whole lot of fans as of late; so much so that the dude is lining up gigs in some of the most talked-about projects around. Not only do they claim he's up for the part of villain in Bond 22, but they're also saying he'll co-star alongside Hugh Jackman in the solo Wolverine flick as well as star in the remake of Alfred Hitchock's The Birds (currently titled: These F**king Pigeons Are Driving Me Crazy!) alongside Naomi Watts. Note to actors: Take that homicidal pedophile role; it'll lead to much better things down the line ... [via Moviehole]

UPDATE: I forgot to add that Fox News claims Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) has landed the role of Bond villain in Bond 22. Whether Knepper was up for the part, of if he'll be playing another villain, we're not sure. More as it develops ...

Those darling little devils over at (JFX Online?, whose site appears to be either down or overloaded at the moment) have scored the first top secret (not anymore though) pics of Zachary Quinto on the set of Star Trek XI ... and he's dressed as -- yup -- Spock. Freaky, the dude totally looks the part. It's kind of funny when you think about it; director J.J. Abrams has done one helluva job protecting the mystery surrounding Cloverfield (aka 1-18-08), but within the first few days of filming, we've already seen pics of the Trek cast, and now pics of Quinto as Spock. Abrams and his crew have worked hard to keep the cast's outfits a secret, going so far as to make them wear black trenchoats with hoods (thus the Star Trek cult was born), but someone managed to snag these fantastic (yet a tad blurry) photos. Good job, I say.

Quinto was the one cast member who looked the most like the character he was taking on; what with that oval face and all. So it doesn't surprise me that the guy looks the part -- but can he play it? That's the better question. Additionally, IESB has also scored video of Quinto, the location shooting and a blue screen set up at a chapel ... or something. They have the entire description, as well as pics of the actual chapel (which they claim may be on Vulcan), so head on over there to check that out.

[photo via Slashfilm]

Looks like Zachary Quinto can still only do the left-handed Vulcan salute. And unfortunately there's no mention of his progress on the more appropriate right-handed method in a new USA Today profile on the actor. Quinto, who will be playing the young Spock in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, had spoken to Entertainment Weekly last month about the salute, admitting he could only do it on his left hand. To get in shape for the movie, he was wearing rubber bands on his right hand and doing special finger exercises.

However, the fact that he posed for USA Today's photo with the left-handed salute isn't a good sign. Another un-Spock-like trait Quinto reveals is emotion. The newspaper claims the actor has found a father figure in Leonard Nimoy, who fills in for Quinto's own dad, who died 23 years ago. Of course, the actor who plays Spock doesn't have to be emotionless, but I always felt like Nimoy was more logical than lovable out of character, as well as in character.

USA Today also claims to have a clue as to the storyline of the new Star Trek movie. Quinto told the paper he couldn't say anything about the prequel's use of both Quinto and Nimoy, but he hinted that "there's going to be a sense of guidance in this film and beyond." Could that refer to the older Spock traveling back in time to guide his younger self? And is this guidance a regular part of Spock's life that we never saw in the previous series and films? Was he continually followed around by the invisible ghost of his older self?

Hopefully it is much simpler, because my brain hurts trying to imagine any of those possibilities. Less interesting to Trekkies out there are Quinto's revelations that he didn't watch Star Trek, favoring DuckTales and 20/20 instead, that he remains good friends with Tori Spelling and that he prefers staying home to going out clubbing. Star Trek begins shooting in November, in which time I hope Quinto can do the proper salute. If not, he can always get assistance from fishing wire, like William Shatner supposedly does.

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.

I'm real hesitant to say that Zachary Quinto is currently in negotiations to play Spock in the new Star Trek XI flick because, well, I don't think he is. We're getting conflicting reports today from a number of sources, ranging from "the dude is talking to the studio" to "the dude is talking to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette." And last I checked, talking up a dream role to some reporter in Pittsburgh (of all places) is nowhere near studio negotiations. For all I know, both sources are right -- but for now, I'll simply tell you what's being said and you can form your own opinion on the matter. First off, those of you who don't watch the NBC show Heroes probably have no idea who the hell Zachary Quinto is. Well, he plays the villain Sylar on the show (he also played the character Adam Kaufman on 24) and, with a young-looking oval face, seems to be a good fit for the role of Spock (originally owned by Leonard Nimoy).

Great, so now that you know who he is, here's what he apparently told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette (in December of last year, no less) about the role of Spock: "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." He then joked about getting Greg Grunberg (good friend of Trek director J.J. Abrams, and fellow Heroes star) to put in a good word for him. "Maybe Sylar should tell Greg, 'I promise I won't kill you if you get me an audition.' We'll see what happens." So that was last year, although some folks are reporting like it happened last week. CHUD, on the other hand, goes a bit further and claims Quinto is actually "still in negotiations" for the role. I'm not sure at what point Quinto went from dreaming about the role to being in negotiations, but this is what's being said and it's my job to report it. Apparently, Abrams will announce the official Star Trek XI cast later this month at ComicCon, so look for lots of folks to be chiming in with spy leaks and whatnot for the next few weeks. As of now, Star Trek XI is due to hit theaters on Christmas Day, 2008.

I'm sorry, but this whole Star Trek XI casting buzz is getting a tad out of hand. Following news that Matt Damon (Kirk), Adrian Brody (Spock) and Gary Sinise (McCoy) are reportedly in talks to play major roles in Star Trek XI, comes word from the very reliable Star Magazine (kidding, of course) via TrekMovie that Jennifer Garner might sign on to play Spock's love interest in the pic. Heck, why don't we bring on George Clooney and Brad Pitt too -- call this one Star Trek XI: The Search for the Perfect Cast to Ruin the Series.

Now, by the way Star phrases this so-called "exclusive scoop," it sounds as if all they have is word that the Vulcan will have a love interest, but they go on to speculate that Garner would be a perfect fit because director J.J. Abrams has worked with her before on Alias, and is known to cast actors he's very familiar with. So, they don't actually know for sure that she's being scoped out -- they're just pretending to have heard from someone (a Star staff writer?) that Jen would make a good Vulcan lover. Affleck lover, yes. But Vulcan -- not so much. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left wondering why in the world Spock would be getting action, and not Kirk? I imagine it's impossible to have the great-looking Adrien Brody in a film, and not have him shack up with at least one lucky female, alien or not. The big question: Would this love interest be new to the Trek universe or, perhaps, Abrams and his clan will tap into some Trek history and bring T'Pring back into the picture. Thoughts?

In related news, IGN recently learned that Star Trek XI will begin shooting this October, occupying five stages on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles. However, most of those stages will be used for alien locations and not for, say, Starfleet Academy classrooms. So, unlike early rumors, the plot will most likely revolve around Kirk and Spock's first mission together, instead of two hours worth of Academy shenanigans. Star Trek XI is due to hit theaters on Christmas Day, 2008.

Though we're still not sure which direction writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are going to take Star Trek XI, we're pretty sure the boys will go retro and focus on a young Kirk and Spock as they begin their training at the Starfleet Academy. While you Trek fans argued continuously over whether Kirk and Spock meeting at the Academy was even plausible in the first place, the names Matt Damon and Ben Affleck immediately began circling the rumor mill.

After the Damon buzz lingered for a few months, the man, his publicist and agency finally debunked the entire thing, saying something along the lines of, "we've never even heard of Star Trek -- is that some sort of eating utensil?" (Okay, that's not an exact quote, but it's close.) Forget about asking whether William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy will have any involvement -- those two flip-flop more than your local congressman. So, if Damon and Affleck will not be playing a young Kirk and Spock, who is? Ya know, if that's the route they're actually going.

So, I ask you: You're in charge of putting two actors in the roles of a young Kirk and Spock -- who do you cast?