Crowe, Yelchin Rumored for Trek
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 9, 2007
A few days ago we reported a little news about J.J. Abrams’ STAR TREK film in that Tom Cruise is being wooed for a little cameo as Captain Christoper Pike. Pike was the captain of the Enterprise prior to James T. Kirk. Today we have some more news from around the halls of the interwebs (mostly just from IGN, though).
Our friends over at IGN are reporting a few different things as they explore the new TREK adventure. One confirmed fact is that Anton Yelchin, the kid who got offed in ALPHA DOG, is in negotiations to play Ensign Pavel Chekov, the navigator of the Enterprise. The 18 year old can also be seen in the upcoming CHARLIE BARTLETT. As IGN points out, this explains a lot about the film in regards to how young the characters will be. It also explains why Abrams is looking for a Kirk who is 23-29 years old and in great physical condition. This puts a clear end to both Shatner and Matt Damon rumors. Not that there were Shatner rumors, but I wouldn’t put it past that sneaky J.J. Abrams guy.
Another hot rumor started by our good friends at IGN is that Russell Crowe will be involved in the flick. IGN was told that Paramount is courting Crowe as the film’s villain. This leads everyone who uses logic to believe that the film’s villain could be a human-like character, but that could change. These things always change on the fly.
What we do know is that Paramount and J.J. Abrams are taking this new TREK very seriously. They are also going after a young cast of relative unknowns to play the parts, something that always seems to work out well. Look at the success of the new Mr. Spock Zachary Quinto based on his work on “Heroes”, a big show with a cast of relative unknowns.
Sets are being built on the Paramount lot as I type and location shooting is rumored to be beginning in Europe soon. STAR TREK will be in theaters on Christmas Day 2008.
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