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Paramount Casts New James T. Kirk 244

Posted by Zonk from the finally dept.
Tycoon Guy writes "TrekToday reports that Paramount is in talks with 27-year old actor Chris Pine to play the role of Captain Kirk in the new 'Star Trek' film. Pine is almost completely unknown, but he's also being courted to star opposite George Clooney in 'White Jazz,' so he's being called "the hottest new actor in town." In addition, 'Hulk' actor Eric Bana was cast today as Nero, the main villain of Trek XI."
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Paramount Casts New James T. Kirk More

Paramount Casts New James T. Kirk

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  • Shatner is out? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Zymergy ( 803632 ) * on Thursday October 11, 2007 @01:31PM (#20943225)
    Chris Pine: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1517976/ [imdb.com]

    Eric Bana: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0051509/ [imdb.com]
    There is one true James TIBERIUS Kirk! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_T._Kirk [wikipedia.org]
    Is Paramount trying to do with Kirk what has been done with the various flavors of "007" or "Batman"?

    • Re:Shatner is out? (Score:4, Funny)

      by damn_registrars ( 1103043 ) <damn.registrars@gmail.com> on Thursday October 11, 2007 @01:37PM (#20943355) Homepage Journal
      Ummm, didn't they say they wanted a 27 year old Kirk? Come on, I think Shatner is closer to 127... His youth has already boldly gone!

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Marxist Hacker 42 ( 638312 ) *
      Uh, that's the entire point of Trek XI- like http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/ [startreknewvoyages.com]'s fan fiction, this movie fits into the continuity between the original series and the movie- therefore they need YOUNGER actors!

      I just hope that they learn something else from New Voyages and we get Newtonian-physics-accurate battle scenes in normal space.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by hawaiian717 ( 559933 )
        From everything I'm hearing, the consensus seems to be that the movie will actually be before the original series, not after it. You're correct about New Voyages though, it's essentially "Season 4".

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by dougmc ( 70836 )

        and we get Newtonian-physics-accurate battle scenes in normal space.
        Considering that their impulse drives can get them to significant percentages of c, and warp drive is much faster -- and people don't get splattered across the bridge every time they make a course change, I'd say probably not.


        Babylon 5 is over there ...

        • IDF (Score:5, Interesting)

          by Radon360 ( 951529 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @02:44PM (#20944527)

          FWIW, Google: Inertial Dampening Field [google.com]

          This sci-fi device is supposed to counteract such fatal changes in motion. Gene Roddenberry and his gang tried to come up with scientific explanations for a lot of things portrayed in Star Trek.

          • Comment removed based on user account deletion
            • I was referring to the motion of the ships in battle scenes- something done on New Voyages with CGI. Even Babylon 5 had inertial dampeners of various effectiveness. In Star Trek Enterprise and TOS story lines, the inertial dampeners are so bad that they're fooled by quick changes in direction- which gave us all the funny scenes of people being thrown out of their chairs (why they never thought about seat belts is beyond me), but they do exist.

              Now having said that- my OP comment was in relation to how the
              • Comment removed based on user account deletion
                • Umm, MAYBE the Minbari had them, since we saw characters in their fighters without seat belts functioning quite effectively, but none of the younger races had anything remotely like them. Earthforce pilots were strapped in and the capital ships moved slowly enough that G-forces weren't an issue.

                  Until, of course, they hit a Jump Gate- or had jump engines accelerate them- at which point without some form of IDF, they would have all ended up jelly anyway. But like I said, varying effectiveness- only the Min

                  • Re: (Score:2)

                    by jandrese ( 485 )
                    I thought the point of jumpgates was that the universe they jumped into was much more compressed than the regular universe, so they moved at the same (slow) speed through that universe, but went through a lot more regular space in the process. Of course any form of FTL travel is going to involve a fair bit of hand wringing, but it's really unavoidable if you want to maintain a cast of characters and not involve timelines that stretch across eons (which sounds cool in theory, but in practice is almost impos

        • and we get Newtonian-physics-accurate battle scenes in normal space.
          Considering that their impulse drives can get them to significant percentages of c, and warp drive is much faster -- and people don't get splattered across the bridge every time they make a course change, I'd say probably not.

          Babylon 5 is over there ...

          I think Trek's bigger issue is a lack of original thinking and shitty writing. If I never see another fucking particle of the week it'll be too soon.

          The reason why B5 was such a breath of fresh air is because the plots revolved around people, the characters evolved, and the events of each episode carried weight and consequence. Even if the sets were sometimes a bit dodgy and the early computer graphics didn't hold up to the practical models used on other contemporary shows, B5 set out to do something nobod

      • Yes, but not actors that look like young retards, surely? That Pine guy looks like he's got an extra chromosome tucked away in there somewhere.

    • Re:Shatner is out? (Score:5, Funny)

      by halcyon1234 ( 834388 ) <halcyon1234@hotmail.com> on Thursday October 11, 2007 @01:40PM (#20943403) Journal
      I think we can all agree on a response:

      Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!

    • Re:Shatner is out? (Score:4, Funny)

      by flyingsquid ( 813711 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @01:42PM (#20943445)
      All I can say is, after his performance in 'Hulk', hearing about Eric Bana being cast in anything makes me cringe. Unless he's being cast in to a pit of boiling lava.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Rallion ( 711805 )
        I really don't think that's fair. Might want to check him out when he's playing a part that wasn't written by a very very stupid monkey. Munich's pretty good. After all, I can't really think of any actors or actresses that haven't been bad in something. (Look to the Star Wars prequels for examples.)

      • He was decent as Hector. Also, there was that one where he was a Mossad agent...that one was good too.

        Point being, even Al Pacino had his Gigli. One poor performance does not an actor break.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by somersault ( 912633 )
        Try watching Chopper instead then, I think that's the film that got him noticed. He's a pretty good actor.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by G-funk ( 22712 )
        Everything about that movie was awful. I don't know if it's available in the US, but if not bittorrent is your friend, and watch Chopper. You'd barely know it was Bana. Besides, the guy *is* Mad Max. He's well known for driving his badass XB Falcon around the post-apocalyptic wasteland that is Tasmania :D

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Seumas ( 6865 )
      Really, who even cares? The only dead horse that has been beat more than Star Wars is Star Trek. Let it die already. Good grief.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by HaloZero ( 610207 )
      I always treated the character 007 more as a title than an actual person. The line of work is hazardous, and surely there was more than one, because the last guy took a bullet or forgot that the pen was poison and not antidote.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by timbck2 ( 233967 )
      Is it just me, or does Chris Pine look more like Captain Christopher Pike than James Kirk? Maybe it's just the eyes...

      http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Christopher_Pike [memory-alpha.org]

  • Good Job, but (Score:5, Funny)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 ) * on Thursday October 11, 2007 @01:32PM (#20943259) Homepage Journal

    Now. He has to learn. To talk. Like this.

    Chris Pine? That's one letter away from Chris Pike! [memory-alpha.org] Coincidence? I don't think so!

  • Actually, the actor is named Chris Pike (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 11, 2007 @01:33PM (#20943267)
    The guy is so good at acting, he only needs a blinking light to convey his emotions.
    • I'm just mad at the shitty PHB manager that kept the programmers from finishing the job.

      PHB: "Hey, is that wheelchair program done yet? I've got another project for you."

      Code Monkey: "Almost, I've got it where we can recognize whether it's a yes or no, now I just have to plug it into the Hawking program and he can start to talk again."

      PHB: "Just make some lights blink or something, we've got too much work to do for you to spend that much time on a project with no recurring fees."

  • Make up your mind (Score:3, Informative)

    by Snowgen ( 586732 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @01:40PM (#20943405) Homepage
    The headline said the role was cast, and the summary said "in talks". Make up your mind, and don't get back to me until you have an answer.
  • I mean, Captain Kirk, ruby programmer, author [pine.fm].

    What a stud.

  • Today's rumor is tomorrow's career obituary (Score:5, Interesting)

    by xPsi ( 851544 ) * on Thursday October 11, 2007 @01:42PM (#20943443)
    Condolances went out today to Chis Pine, his family, and his career after he formally accepted the offer by Paramount to play James T. Kirk in the upcoming Star Trek movies.
    • I realize you're going for the funny, but Shatner's had a long and varied career, and even now, in his late seventies, is still getting regular work. Hardly a career-ender.
  • Two streets that run parallel to each other in downtown Seattle. Coincidence???
  • Hay Bill Shatner. Hope you're, reading *this* thread. Lots of us, miss you, except on reruns.

    I sure hope the new actor does a service to Star Trek, and to the history. Lots of us rabid ST fans will be waiting and watching. You have to remember that Star Trek has been around for *40 years*, and has been watched by generations of people. I also expect Star Trek to be around for another 40 years, with all of the styrofoam rocks, clitorus-foreheaded space-aliens, and freeze-frame phaser attacks. Oh, and hot m
  • I forget, is it the odd-numbered trek movies that are good, or are they the ones that suck? /hangs trekkie hat up in shame, although in all fairness, the shows were almost always better than the movies.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by k_187 ( 61692 )
      Even good, odd suck. But its all been downhill since 6. Although 8 wasn't completely horrible.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mrxak ( 727974 )
      The Even Rule generally regards even-numbered movies as being good. Odds aren't necessarily bad, and Star Trek X pretty much destroyed the Even Rule anyway... Anyway, I tend to like most of them. The only ones that I can say I really disliked were The Final Frontier and Nemesis. So I have invented a new rule, the Multiples of Five Rule. If the movie is a multiple of five, it's non-canon horrible crap.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by Otter Popinski ( 1166533 )
        Let's hope we never have the chance to put your theory to the test. Star Trek XV: Captain Wesley Crusher, now in command of the USS Voyager, spends a week-long holiday on Risa. Nothing much happens, but there are lots of nude scenes.

    • is it the odd-numbered trek movies that are good, or are they the ones that suck?

      From what I gathered it's odd-numbered trek movies that suck.

      • 1. A probe returns to earth, lots of "visual effects", some fusion between man and machine and the universe is happy. After watching this movie, you'll find yourself wondering "What did I just watch?" and "Did I pay money for that DVD?"
      • 3. Spock respawns, thus making nearly as good as Jesus but with the mental capacity of a peanut. Near the end of the movie he tr

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mrxak ( 727974 )
        They should have stopped making movies at #9. I happened to like Insurrection (it wrapped things up fairly neatly for most characters), but that's besides the point. Nemesis was atrocious, never should have been made, and Enterprise was poorly managed so while I liked a fair portion of it, it should have not existed.

        If they want to take another 10 year break and then do something in the 25th century, I will gladly watch. But right now I'd rather watch more original sci-fi than the same stuff rehashed in pre

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by masdog ( 794316 )
      Odd number trek movies range from downright bad to halfway decent. The Even numbered trek movies tend to be the better ones, but as another poster said, X (Nemesis) really killed that theory. After First Contact, all the Trek movies tend to follow the writing trends of the TV shows and go into a downward spiral fairly quickly.

  • Other cast options.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by russ1337 ( 938915 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @02:02PM (#20943789)
    They were going to cast Keano Reeves as Spock, but found during auditions that he doesn't have the range of emotions required for the role.

    • Re:Other cast options.... (Score:5, Funny)

      by laffer1 ( 701823 ) <luke@@@foolishgames...com> on Thursday October 11, 2007 @02:12PM (#20943959) Homepage Journal
      How would the lines for that go?

      Kirk: Spock what do you think?
      Spock: I know kung fu!
    • You might be on to something there, he could really make the Spock character more hip to appeal to a modern audience. Consider the following changes:

      Spock: Facinating.
      Keanu: Whoa!

      Spock: That would be illogical.
      Keanu: That would be most unexcellent!

      Spock: Their shields are no match for us.
      Keanu: I know kung-fu!

      I'm sure there are other obvious changes, feel free to contribute your own.

    • They were going to cast Keano Reeves as Spock, but found during auditions that he doesn't have the range of emotions required for the role.
      Snarkiest movie review I ever read -- there was some movie where he was cast as a nuclear physicist. "Keanu Reeves, tragically miscast as an intelligent person..." OUCH!

  • So. . . Many. . . Pictures. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Fantastic Lad ( 198284 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @02:23PM (#20944187)
    The IMDB has a tidy little slide show [google.ca] of Hollywood's new It Boy.

    I'm glad they didn't go for a look-a-like. There's a couple of shots which suggest this actor might have enough screen presence and charisma to pull off the arrogant super-leader several-times savior of the galaxy.

    Good luck to you, Mr. Pine! Them's big shoes. --It's a case of creating a character who is, (on and off the screen) ultra arrogant, skilled enough to deserve acting that way, and charming enough not to piss everybody off while doing it. If you follow Shatner's lead, then you will also be a really kind, light-hearted and giving soul, but that usually comes with age. If you don't get blasted by photon disrupters first. Is this Pine kid also a Canadian like old Bill? I'm not sure it's possible to achieve all of those goals otherwise. We'll have to see. Like I said, good luck to you, man!

    And I have gotta say, this is the first time in forever, (with the exception of the recent and sadly disappointing Superman film), that I've been excited about an upcoming movie. With a good writer and good direction, this could be a really awesome film.

    When, oh, when will I accumulate enough jaded cynicism to not let my hopes get the better of me?

    I am SUCH a sci-fi geek!


    -FL

  • With such an original classical villian name like "Nero" we can only hope that whis will be a remake of the remake that was Nemesis. Bonus points if they have scenes on Ceti Alpha IV.

  • Bugger Kirk, I want Pirk! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Nim82 ( 838705 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @02:48PM (#20944589)
    They should replace Kirk with Pirk and get Samuli Torssonen and his crew on-board.

    Star Wreck was better in every way that matters: Better Battles, Better Humour, Better Plot and most importantly prettier girls. The acting was about equal as well.

    Imagine what they could do with a budget?

  • McCoy? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by FranTaylor ( 164577 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @02:50PM (#20944613)
    Is there any truth to the rumor that Gary Sinise is going to play Dr. McCoy? I mean, how could they possibly give it to anyone else?

    • I never thought of it but Sinise would make a great McCoy. Is this really the rumor?

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by garett_spencley ( 193892 )
        I agree that Sinise would make an excellent McCoy ... but they're casting for the roles the crew in their mid 20's. Sinise is 52.
  • He may be the Hottest New Actor in town -- until he's typecast as James R^HT Kirk for the rest of his career.
  • So who will be cast in the role of CleverNickname?
  • ...after looking at the slideshow on IMDB that guy's eyes just creep me out. It's like he's got zombie contact lenses on, but he apparently does not.
  • In sort of the same way that seemingly every British actor alive has at some point played a role in Doctor Who, Chris Pine's dad, the actor Robert Pine [memory-alpha.org] of "CHiPs" [wikipedia.org] fame, has been on various incarnations of Star Trek. He was in the Star Trek:Voyager story "The Chute" [memory-alpha.org], and the Star Trek:Enterprise story "Fusion" [memory-alpha.org].

    At least Chris won't have to sit in the head-bump and pointy ear attachment chair.

    Carefully polishes Geek Badge...

  • Eric Bana? (Score:4, Funny)

    by rk ( 6314 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @03:51PM (#20945601) Journal
    I thought the Hulk's alter ego was Bruce Bana.

  • James Cawley (Score:3, Interesting)

    by rpillala ( 583965 ) on Thursday October 11, 2007 @05:56PM (#20947141)

    If they had any guts at all they'd cast James Cawley as Kirk. His performance on Star Trek: New Voyages evokes Shatner's hamminess occasionally, but more often you forget it's someone else playing Kirk and you're just watching Star Trek again. If you've soured on the franchise like some posters have I encourage you to watch some episodes:

    http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/ [startreknewvoyages.com]

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