Trek Traction

It's more casting news and then controversy for the latest Star Trek flick...

Kathy Lyford and Tatiana Seigel of Variety:

Chris Hemsworth (L) and Clifton Collins Jr (R). have joined the cast of Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek."

Hemsworth will play Captain [James T. Kirk]'s father, George Kirk. Collins will play Ayel, the cohort and general to Nero, played by Eric Bana.

The duo joins the previously cast Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Bana and Winona Ryder.

Lensing began last week.

...Hemsworth just wrapped the indie feature "The Cache," opposite Sean Bean.

Collins' credits include the upcoming indie features "The Perfect Game" "The Horsemen," "Sunshine Cleaning " and "Still Waters." He just booked a supporting role in Relativity Media's "Brothers," opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire.

Hemsworth bears quite a resemblance to William Shatner as Kirk in his younger days as well as "current JTK" Chris Pine. He make a fine choice for the role...As for Collins: Jeebus! Is there a upcoming film that he's not already a part of...

Moving on...

From TrekWeb:

Web-based series Star Trek New Voyages exec producer and actor James Cawley claims to have seen the Enterprise redesign for the film…And to say that he's not a happy Trekker would be an understatement.

Cawley-"I don't like it. It is supposed to be NCC-1701, no bloody A,B,C,D or E! and it sure does not look like the 1701 I grew up with!”


He adds:“I just don't agree with changing such iconic designs that are so ingrained in pop culture, it is really needless.” .

“I just don't want the production design radically changed. I see Matt Jefferies designs as "TIMELESS", and as "Pure Science Fiction", I feel the Big E as designed by Matt deserves it's day on the big screen. I personally Hope that this film makes a lot of money for the studio, and that Star Trek is around for many more years because of it. If it fails the alternative of Trek's Loss would Suck. All that aside, I do not have to be a fan of the production design. I have seen what was purported to be the final design of the New Enterprise, and I don't like the changes."

While I agree with Cawley's feelings over "radical" changes...I doubt that Abrams and his team would be dumb enough to do that much to alter the big E...Until I see something really different with the design--I'm willing to wait and see.

I must say--even as a fan of Trek-I'm expecting changes to be a a part of the new film. It is a matter of how big the differences are that will determine my level of upset. After all, (minor) change, can sometimes be a good thing.

I respect everything that Cawley's done with NV and keeping classic Trek alive but he sounds like he wouldn't be happy with anything they came up with...

From designs to story we go...

Credited City on the Edge of Forever writer and SF legend Harlan Ellison is not happy that elements of the episode are rumored to be part of the film's plot

He’s responded to the news on his website with this humdinger:

"Would someone go to that site, and suggest to those people there, that "City" and all its elements EXCEPT specific Star Trek characters, belong to Harlan Ellison--author of that much-lauded episode--by terms of the Separation of Rights clause of the Writers Guild's Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA), and if Mr. Abrams--with whom I'm currently on strike--or anyone else, at Paramount or elsewhere, thinks they're going to use MY creations--whether the City, the Guardians, Sister Edith Keeler, or any other elements CREATED BY HARLAN ELLISON...they had damned well better lose the unilateral arrogance, get in touch with me, or my agent, Marty Shapiro, and be prepared to pay for the privilege of mining the lode I own.”

Wow! I knew that Ellison never liked the final episode as aired--penned in an uncredited rewrite by series creator Gene Roddenberry but this just sounds like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

As a non professional writer, I'm unaware of the nuts and bolts of the MBA /SoR clause--but is this really lawsuit worthy? I have never seen the Guardian, Edith Keeler and the like appear in anything other than Trek related--Ellison never got an additional on screen credit/byline with those incarnations as far as I know...

Of course, good 'ol green moolah is another matter entirely...

Stay Tuned...