LONDON, England – Geek buzz flying around the Internet suggests that “Star Trek” could be one of the summer’s biggest movies.
From L-R: Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov, Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Simon Pegg as Scottie, Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy and John Cho as Hikaru Sulu
Director J.J. Abrams’ reinvention of the cult sci-fi franchise doesn’t open across the world until May 7 and 8, but early reviews after London’s Monday premiere are excellent.
The hype building around the 11th “Star Trek” film suggests that it could turn into a movie event to rival last year’s Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” and introduce “Star Trek” to a legion of new fans.
Hot director Abrams, the creative talent behind TV series “Lost” and last year’s much-hyped homage to Japanese monster movies, “Cloverfield,” is the man given the unenviable task of re-working the franchise for the next generation — without alienating its loyal fanbase. Chicago couple travels to world premiere
The 43 year old director says he went back to the beginning to look for inspiration for the latest installment. Are you excited about the new “Star Trek” movie or is it all a bunch of hype? Tell us below in the SoundOff box
“I always felt there was something that had not been done with ‘Star Trek,’” he said. “There have been 10 movies, but this is the first time that a movie has dealt with the fundamental, primary story Gene Roddenberry originally created in 1966.”
“There are so many versions and narrations of ‘Star Trek,’ it felt like bringing in another ship and a whole new group of characters wasn’t the way to go.”
Abrams’ “Star Trek” chronicles the first voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s now legendary crew, telling the story of how Kirk, Spock, “Bones,” Scotty, and the rest met.
Abrams solves the problem of how to convincingly cast a prequel to a series whose characters, like William Shatner’s Capt. James T. Kirk, are indelibly etched on the collective pop-cultural consciousness with an inspired mix of newcomers and more well-known faces.
The new cast includes Australian star Eric Bana as Romulan captain Nero, and “Heroes” villain Zachary Quinto as Spock, while relative newcomer Chris Pine takes on the role of James T. Kirk.
