Now that Paramount has handed its franchise warhorse Star Trek to JJ Abrams to ride, it means we won’t ever see Kirk and Spock – AKA William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy - back on the screen in their iconic roles, right?
Well, perhaps not. But before anyone starts spinning stories about how the pair will be laying the smack down on aliens in the new film, a little rumour control: this is merely Nimoy talking to the Jam! Movies website about getting a phone call from the studio…
"The head of production at Paramount called my agency to tell them about this project and they are aware of Bill's and my contribution to the franchise, and they'd like us to know they might want some involvement. It was all very, very general. They might possibly want Bill and I to set up the story as a flashback. But that's just conjecture on my part."
And given the current speed of development on the new film – we don’t even know if Abrams is directing yet and not a word of the script is actually written – Kirk and Spock might only be heads in jars by the time Star Trek XI is ready to enter production.
In other, much more concrete Trek news, the 1960’s series is getting a coat of digital paint for its 40th anniversary. Paramount and its CBS TV channel have been working on converting the series’ rickety old visuals with new CG technology. Don’t panic: with old Trek hand Michael Okuda (he worked on design for The Next Generation onwards), it shouldn’t fall victim to Lucas Syndrome. The tweaks will simply be to make the show look as good as possible – replacing the dodgy model shots with sexy new computer-generated ships (some of which have already been seen in the most recent series, Enterprise) that nevertheless retain the look we’re used to. Alien vistas will be improved and empty backgrounds on space stations will finally look alive. Oh, and the music’s being re-recorded so it sounds clearer.
Those reading this in the US will be able to see the results on September 16. Fans in UK will likely have to wait until a TV channel picks it up or the inevitable DVDs – because you know they’re going to release ‘em – arrive in shops.