This has potential. The problem is, it has potential to really suck, too. Focusing on "the early days of Kirk and Spock" - so like Space Camp but at StarFleet Academy instead? I think the crux of this success or failure is going to be the actors. Hopefully they will shy away from Heath Ledger or Jake Whosie-Whatsit, or any of the other pretty-boy actors out there right now for Kirk and find someone who can actually act (though I fully realize that would be a swift departure from the typical person playing Kirk. I love Shatner, don't get me wrong, but acting has never been something he's been accused of, has it?)
What I think could be pretty cool would be if they cast Connor Trinneer as Kirk. He was awesome as Trip, he's familiar with StarTrek as a genre, he can totally act (ooh, my 80's young-un roots are showing!) and you can make a case that he could actually grow into looking like Kirk. (Not that that kind of consistency has ever really been a necessary part of any casting - just look at the StarWars franchise - but it can't hurt. I suspect, however, that they'll deem him too old - he's 37 or 38 now, so he probably can't pull off college student too well.
My other concern is that this'll be film #11 - which means by virtue of simply existing as an odd numbered film, it will most likely suck. Then again, #10 sucked pretty badly as well, so maybe they're due for a good one. There have been a few fluke odd numbered films that have been ok.
Casting a young Spock is a slightly more difficult call for me. Anyone have thoughts or suggestions? (Might as well play with the rest of the crew if you've got any ideas there for young versions - not like anyone who matters will care, but it could be an amusing exercise.)
1 day ago
For a franchise that boasts about going where no man has gone before, it sure likes to re-hash old stuff. First off if they do a "Kirk and Spock: The Early Days" I will not waste money watching it. Revisionist history is one of the worst liberal traits there is even when applied to an imagined (yet established) history like the Star Trek universe. The success of such ventures is easily seen in the demise of Enterprise, the only Trek series after the original to be cancelled. And why? Fans hated seeing the "history" of Star Trek rewritten every week (and the thinly veiled liberal agenda. I have friends who called the show Lefterprise). I was upset that they never made a DS9 movie. Why not take members from all the casts and go forward with the franchise in a movie.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the first time rumors about a "Star Trek Academy" film have circulated. I hope as in the past they just die.
I could seriously go for a DS9 movie - that was probably my favorites of the series. I always kind of figured that they never did a DS9 movie because with the whole war at the end of the series they couldn't come up with any kind of new or interesting plotline that would last for 2 - 3 hours and be worth "big movie" special effect. Though that said, I've really only read one of the DS9 books but it was very good (with lots on Odo) and would make a cool movie, though it is probably outdated now that the whole founder thing has been done.
ReplyDeleteHmm. Good food for thought!
I've never been into Star Trek that much. To me, though, it would be like making another Rocky movie.
ReplyDeleteOh wait. They're doing that, too! Ack.