wrath of khan Tagged Articles at Cinematical

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.

In a give and take at San Diego's Comic Con, Bryan Singer spoke about a sequel to this summer's Superman Returns, suggesting he would get "all Wrath of Khan" on it. Geeks everywhere immediately loved the reference to the classic Trek film, and many presumed this meant Zod as a main villain. TODAY online, in a big old interview with Singer (which you can read in its entirety at the above link), asked what exactly he was suggesting with the quote back in July. Singer was a bit dodgy, as directors tend to rightfully be, refusing to admit details of Supes' next return. Instead, he simply pointed to traditional comic book movie wisdom, and said he meant the first movie had to be consumed with character introductions and relationships, the second movie -- like the old Wrath of Khan -- could jump right into the action. "Now you can raise the stakes, raise the jeopardy, and make a leaner, meaner movie."

As one of those fans who was on the fence with Returns (I enjoyed it, but it was less than I hoped it would be), I am fully willing to give it a chance go should Singer put together another flick. He's right, of course, with the conventional wisdom he suggested, and a good director will learn from the complaints on his work. Your thoughts? Are we going to see Zod here, or what?

The last time an Enterprise crew paid a visit to the multiplexes, the result was 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, which was the fourth (and final) sojourn of the Next Generation gang. Prior to that we had Robert Wise's The Motion Picture in 1979, the Holy Trilogy of The Wrath of Khan ('82), The Search for Spock ('84), and The Voyage Home ('86), and then ... The Final Frontier ('89) and The Undiscovered Country ('91) before Picard's crew (thankfully) took over. Their efforts yielded Generations ('94), First Contact ('96), Insurrection ('98), and the aforementioned Nemesis. And for a while it looked like that was it, at least as far as the silver screen was concerned. Yeah, right.

Today's Variety indicates that not only has a Star Trek 11 earned a green light, but also that J.J. Abrams will be the one behind the helm. (Abrams, as you most likely know, wrote and/or directed such entertainments as Alias, Lost, the upcoming Mission Impossible 3, the underrated Joy Ride, the certifiably insane Armageddon, and the woefully atrocious Gone Fishin'. Yes, J.J. Abrams wrote Gone Fishin'.)

And that's not all. Seems that Mr. Abrams will be joining the Federation with his MI3 writing team of Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci. (These guys also wrote The Legend of Zorro, The Island, the upcoming Transformers adaptation and, if the IMDb is to be believed, an old Nintendo game called The Goonies II.)

According to the Variety report, the new flick "will center on the early days of seminal "Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission," and hopes to be complete in time for a 2008 release. Talk about living long and prospering, eh?