zachary quinto Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Man, does it feel like ages since this summer season got off to a proper start. The blockbuster season was surprisingly front-loaded (and May was pretty great for it), so while I don't mind all the solid indies that have come around the bend recently -- Away We Go, Humpday, The Hurt Locker, In the Loop, Moon, (500) Days of Summer, etc. -- I'm still waiting for something big and blockbuster-y to surprise me quite like J.J. Abrams' exciting Star Trek reboot did.

Unfortunately, Paramount's putting off the DVD release for the prime holiday season (November 17th -- hey, whatever happened to that ever-shrinking theatrical video window?!), but the two-disc DVD and three-disc Blu-ray releases will both be packed with extras, not the least of which are a feature commentary by Abrams and company and several deleted scenes that keen eyes spotted in the trailers, but never made it to the screen.

Read the full press release -- including all the special features -- over at SciFi Squad

This week's very solid edition of Saturday Night Live, starring Justin Timberlake (now officially one of the show's greatest all-time hosts), featured a few special guests during the "Weekend Update" segment. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto arrived first to assuage long-time Star Trek fans' fears about the new film, and then Leonard Nimoy came out to give his authoritative seal of approval (which, if you think about it, is why he's in the movie, too).

The segment is only mildly funny, but it does lead up to a classic closing line, one that's right up there with Shatner's "Get a life!" routine back in 1986. (If you're wondering, Shatner and Patrick Stewart have each hosted SNL once, but Nimoy never has, and neither have any of the various Star Treks' other stars.) The version on Hulu must be taken from the dress rehearsal (they do that sometimes), as it's ever-so-slightly different from the one that aired live on Saturday night. Enjoy.

Apparently there are some Star Trek trading cards making their way around (do people really use movie trading cards?), and MTV got their hands on a stack full of some new images -- including this hot shot of Diora Baird as an Orion Slave Girl ... and not an obsessed Incredible Hulk fanatic. The images also include a pretty cool spoilerish shot of Zachary Quinto's Spock giving the Vulcan salute to Leonard Nimoy's Spock (technically that means he was giving the Vulcan salute to himself), as well as images of the Enterprise, a new strange-looking alien, one of the Starfleet Academy and more. Yeah, they're all pretty cool, but we thought you'd have fun with this Orion Slave Girl -- kinda hot, no? Green, yes ... but still hot.

Orion Slave Girls are said to be vicious and seductive, and claim no human male can resist them. They first popped up in the original pilot, and have since been featured in Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise. This new version looks a little greener than in the past, but it's a change that works quite well in my mind. What do you think? We've added a few of the photos to our Star Trek gallery below -- along with the film's final poster -- and you can catch the rest over at MTV. Star Trek hits theaters on May 8.

"I've never been a fan of Star Trek. It's true, I never quite got it." -- J.J. Abrams

Last night Cinematical had the chance to screen roughly 20 minutes of footage from the new Star Trek film alongside select journalists, Paramount executives and Trek director J.J. Abrams. Four scenes in total, each was a fairly critical component of the film -- and while hardcore Trekkers may have a few problems with the final product, there's no denying this rebooted version of Star Trek will kick off the summer of '09 in spectacular fashion.

Below, I'll give you a very brief summary of each scene, then spit out a few initial thoughts on it all before providing a few movie facts (based on what we learned last night). Some of this info will come as a welcomed surprise to those faithful out there, and some ... well ... let's begin, shall we:

Note: We'll be discussing plot points, so there will be spoilers ahead.

Scene Summary

1. Kirk's Introduction -- This was our first introduction to the Chris Pine version of Kirk -- a somewhat disheveled, but great looking punk who hangs around the Starfleet bar looking to pick up chicks. His wooing of one such chick -- who goes by the name of Uhura (Zoe Saldana) -- winds up getting Kirk into trouble with some of the boys. A fight ensues, and a man by the name of Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) steps in to save the day before urging Kirk to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Starfleet.

Thankfully, this time around the images aren't spread clear across these internets on several different sites. Nope, this time the new Star Trek photos come courtesy of those nuts over at Empire, who've revealed two new stills from the film (one of which you can see above), as well as a cover featuring the new Kirk and Spock. I especially like the image they threw together below -- re-creating that classic Kirk and Spock pose with the newbies, played by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.



So far all the images released look pretty rad, though there's a lot riding on that new trailer playing before Quantum of Solace (in theaters November 14), and I have a feeling we'll be discussing that bad boy for awhile after it makes its official online debut. In case you missed them, check out all the previously-released Star Trek images in the gallery below. Star Trek beams itself into theaters on May 8.

Pictured: Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Zoe Saldana

Yesterday we told you about those new Star Trek images (revealing snippets of each), and now Entertainment Weekly has revealed their snazzy eight-page Trek spread, featuring all of the aforementioned images, as well as tasty plot information, action scene descriptions, interviews with the cast and, of course, director J.J. Abrams, who talks at length about what brought him to the franchise and which direction he'd be taking: "In a world where a movie as incredibly produced as The Dark Knight is raking in gazillions of dollars, Star Trek stands in stark contrast,It was important to me that optimism be cool again."

On what type of film they were aiming for, Abrams says, "We weren't making a movie for fans of Star Trek. We were making a movie for fans of movies." Regarding the plot -- and here come some mild spoilers -- EW tells us the flick begins when "a Federation starship, the USS Kelvin (pictured right), is attacked by a vicious Romulan (Eric Bana) desperately seeking one of the film's heroes. From there, the film then brings Kirk and Spock center stage and tracks the origins of their friendship and how they became officers aboard the Enterprise. In fact, the movie shows how the whole original series crew came together: McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoë Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), and Chekov (Anton Yelchin)." The mag goes on to reveal locations such as Earth, a harsh ice planet and Vulcan (calling the scenes they viewed "state-of-the-art pop), and also how Leonard Nimoy was an "essential element" of the new Trek. EW says Nimoy's "first scene" as Spock (which means he'll be in more than one) is "goose-bumpingly cool."

Abrams will take some scenes on an international press tour, screening them for select European audiences hoping to "educate people that this is a whole new franchise." Also, EW does indeed confirm that the new full trailer for Star Trek will play in front of Quantum of Solace, which hits theaters on November 14. Meanwhile, Star Trek will finally debut on the big screen on May 8.

Update: AICN has added one more Trek photo to the pack (which they call a Spock "outtake"). View it below, and click to enlarge.

Oh yes, that's exactly what you think it is. Moviefone snatched the first Star Trek photo, and though it's a tad dark, you can clearly see the new Enterprise ship coming together. Ever since it was announced that J.J. Abrams would be directing a brand new take on the Star Trek franchise, folks have been itching to see what he's come up with. Starring Zachary Quinto (as a young Spock), Chris Pine (as a young Kirk), Karl Urban (as Bones), Simon Pegg (as Scotty), John Cho (as Sulu), Anton Yelchin (as Checkov) and Zoe Saldana (as Uhuru), this latest Star Trek installment apparently follows the original crew during their early days at Starfleet Academy up through their first mission together. Eric Bana will be playing a villain named Nero, while Bruce Greenwood will also make an appearance as the original Captain, Christopher Pike. And for those longing for some old school Trek, you'll be happy to know that Leonard Nimoy will also be showing up as his old Spock self. Head to Moviefone to see a larger Star Trek photo, as well as a gallery of the cast. Star Trek is set to touch down on December 25.

Additionally, you can spot the first trailer for Star Trek this weekend in front of Cloverfield, and the film's official site has now gone live.

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 ...