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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Under Wraps

On the agenda Item #1:

J.J. Abrams is talking about Star Trek XI to Lindsay Soll of Entertainment Weekly:

After his panel at the New York Times' 6th Annual Arts & Leisure Weekend, EW sat down with Mission: Impossible III helmer and Lost creator J.J. Abrams to get an inside look at his new enterprise: a Star Trek movie. While it isn't clear when we can expect to see the film, which will be the 11th in the series, he confirmed a draft of the script is done, and it will be trimmed sometime soon.

So what, exactly, will be the plot? Early reports (like this one in
Variety) said that it will focus on the young, post-Starfleet Academy days of James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, but Abrams wouldn't specify. Still, he assured us it's a story that even non-Trekkers can enjoy.

''On the one hand, for people who love Star Trek, the fix that they will get will be really satisfying,'' he says. ''For people who've never seen it or know it vaguely, I think they will enjoy it equally, because the movie does not require you to know anything about Star Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don't know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind.
''




Alex [Kurtzman] and Roberto Orci are executive-producing and writing the sci-fi flick, and Abrams is co-producing with Lost pals Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk. There's no word on a director or casting yet, but Abrams is anxious to move forward. ''I can't wait to do this,'' he says. ''It is an absolute thrill to work on this project. We really are still like, 'How the hell are we able to do this?

Some quick comments: Why exactly is this story news? It's been out there forever that J.J. 's pals Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, (who worked on Alias) and Bryan Burk & Damon Lindelof (from Lost) were all involved with the project...I thought Abrams was indeed directing the film as of December 10th 2006? What gives?. The EW story tells us nothing new and de-confirms a confirmation...Huh? When you have something exciting to report about the flick--I'm all (pointed) ears

And then, there's this amusing Trek XI rumor from Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons via World Entertainment News Network:

Short of that "Enterprise" pilot scene where the busty Jolene Blalock and the muscular Connor Trinneer rubbed oil all over their muscles whilst dressed only in their all too tight underwear (they seemed to be both enjoying filming that scene), the words "Star Trek" and sex appeal have been far from synonymous.

That changed on the weekend when a rather ridiculous rumour popped up over WENN that the new James Bond, ie. Daniel Craig, would be involved in M:I-3 helmer and "Lost" producer J.J. Abrams planned big budget film prequel/restart of the franchise.

No rumours or confirmations as yet on the talk...


I seriously doubt that Daniel Craig would commit to another high profile franchise film this soon after his boffo debut as 007 in Casino Royale. A cameo...maybe? If that. Besides Bond #22 is already ramping up and would likely overlap Trek

Agenda Item #2...Once again courtesy of Franklin:

Rob Cohen ("XXX", "The Fast and the Furious") is in negotiations to direct a third film in the action-adventure franchise "The Mummy" for Universal Pictures according to [the studio].

Stephen Sommers, who directed the first two movies, is producing with partner Bob Ducsay.

The plot details of the script, written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, are being kept
[very quiet]

The previous two installments scored $155 million and $202 million in 1999 & 2001 respectively. Talks with actors have not begun.

Cohen has been writing a biopic of filmmaker Russ Meyer and his wife titled "King of the Nudies," which he plans to direct, and is attached to direct "Scared Straight" for New Line.

If Cohen does end up directing the third Mummy flick, I hope its more like The Fast and the Furious was in terms of action and fun and less like the inane xXx. Of course that really depends on the tone of the script from Gough and Millar doesn't it?

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