Shatner Wants in Star Trek Sequel
Posted by Rodneyon 27. 05. 2009in News Chat
William Shatner is a puzzle to me. For years all I heard about was his off screen ass hattery and the drama between him and his cast mates. Well in the last few years, Bill has come around and surprised me. He is by far the best part of Boston Legal, and his attitude changed from pompous he-diva to a humble charming man who can poke fun at himself.
So when the new Star Trek came about and news was that they were going to include a very old Spock, I instantly wondered if old Kirk would be there too. But then I was reminded that Shatner’s Kirk died in Generations bringing an end to the character that not only elevated him to fame, but was also the biggest thorn in his side. His death was anticlimactic, and it had faded from my memory of the original series.
Worst Previews offers:
Even though he holds a bit of a grudge, he now tells the Australian Associated Press that he would love to be in the sequel. “I would be delighted to be in it,” said Shatner.A sequel has already been announced and since the first film changed the fate of the Trek character, there is now a chance for Shatner to return as Captain Kirk.
That “grudge” he holds against Abrams was later clarified as poking fun at himself some more. Mocking his own self importance (How could he NOT consider me for a cameo…I am William Shatner!) which is also a gag in Fanboys where Shat makes a cameo.
Shatner also admits that he hasn’t got around to seeing the film and says he wants to see it soon. I think once he does he will realize that there is no room for his character at all.
The plot device that brought us Old Spock is fitting. His character traits of humility and duty work perfectly as he is not going to be the focus of the films. He now has a new mission with the Vulcan people. Kirk is too strong of a personality that he just would have no place in this new timeline.
Sure, the future has changed leaving room for Kirk to NOT die in Generations (as that timeline is separate from the current one) but there is no reason for an old Kirk to show up. If they cast him as young Kirk’s grandfather or something that might be a nice tribute cameo. If Back to the Future has taught us anything it is that when you travel in time, all your descendants will look exactly like you.
But I think this is more a case of “too little too late”. Shatner was satisfied that his character should die. It was a passing of the torch for the feature films to focus on the Next Generation never to return to tell the story of the original crew of the Enterprise. At the time, Shat was also embittered towards the fans even writing a book about his convention circuit experience lashing out at the wildly devoted fanbase telling them to “Get a Life”. Well they did, and left Trek behind and the franchise died.
Now he sees Trek flourish into a new exciting chapter and he wants in.
Sorry Shat. I love ya, but Trek moved on without you.
A simple way that Shatner could come back is if Old Spock returned and recounted a memory between him and Old Kirk, which took place before Kirk’s death.
Of course the major obstacle to something like that would be Shatner’s ego. I can’t imagine he would ever allow himself to be relegated to a ‘flashback scene’ and not some detailed, integral part of the film.
One thing about Nimoy vs Shatner is that Nimoy looks exactly like he did 40 years ago while Shatner aged a bit… differently.
Bringing back Nimoy seemed a bit forced but it was made part of the new timeline. But bringing back Shatner would be just to bring back Shatner and that is unnecessary.
wtf nimoy looks old as shit…wtf are u smoking
That suggesttion makes the most sense to me so far. Of course, it’d mean that Nimoy would have to cameo again, which might be a bit wierd…
He doesn’t have to be Kirk in it. A cameo as a different character might work just as well, like the grandfather idea.
His part was pretty funny in Fanboys, as brief as it might have been. His part in the next Star Trek could totally be as an extra. He could walk across a scene in the background and be excited that he will be in the movie, and then later the scene could end up on the cutting room floor where most extras end up! :D
Just kidding. My vote goes for the grandfather or something, should they Abrams write him in some how.
He could cameo in the movie the way Stan Lee does in the Marvel movies. Just there. Why does everyone think he has to play “KIRK”? I don’t think Shat’s as egotistical as he’s made out to be. He may be vain, but that’s totally different.
Godfather, when Shat voiced his displeasure about not being approached JJ offered him a cameo instead.
He said if he didn’t get to play Kirk he didn’t want to do it.
Thats why.
Rodney
That doesn’t mean Shatner’s an a**hole or anything (much as he seems to be made out to be). There’s nothing wrong with him stating that he wanted to play Kirk, but since the flick went in another direction, has he publicly stated since then that he was displeased that he wasn’t included, or that he wasn’t included and Nimoy was?
My comment about “why does everyone think he has to play Kirk” is directed more at the people saying things like “he should play him in a flashback/forward scene” or whatever, not at Shat saying he’d only play Kirk.
When I said he may be vain, I meant it in the sense that he would probably only want to play Kirk. There’s nothing wrong with him wanting to be the character he played for the show/movies. But it’s not egotistical of him to not want to be in the movie as someone else. I guess I should’ve separated that paragraph.
Don’t do it Abrams and Co. Don’t do it!
kirks death was the worse thing ive ever seen.
shatner is pathetic for agreeing to that.
since the timeline changed, kirkprime could still be alive.
at least have shatner back and then kill kirk in a cool uber heroic way. lol.
Did you see the deleted scenes from “Generations”? Kirk’s death was even worse the first way they filmed it. He gets shot. And dies. That’s it. Little heroics. No parting words before he croaks.
So they reshot it. And it still stinks.
I think they need to leave time travel alone in the next flick. You rebooted… great. Never speak of it again. This cast is strong enough to carry a film without a Shatner cameo.
William Shatner has been poking fun at himself for a good 30 years Rodney…his other behavior aside.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO.
The point of the time travel shit was an excuse to reboot and leave the remnants of a dying franchise in the dust. Sorry Shat, but your prescence is not required or wanted. Keep doing Priceline commercials.
Okay, I know I’m going to sound geeky, but one ofthe things I get annoyed at is when someone says the timline has been changed. It did not, it is an alternative timeline.
Okay, geek moment over. I think a way you can get Shatner into the sequel, without him actually being a part of the story… Have a view screen on in the backround, maybe a bar scene, and on the screen there’s Shatner as Denny Crane.
I am a geek and even I don’t go that far.
No, the original series is not gone, but it will never happen again.
It is important to recognize that they could change anything and everything from this point forward.
Didn’t something in the time line have to be changed to create this alternate time line?
I’d prefer a movie poster of Kingdom Of The Spiders myself, but that’s just me.
Non sequitur much?
I have an idea… the ONLY way they should bring Shat into it and not ruin a renewal of the franchise is have the story deal with something that is causing the characters to age prematurely. Sure in the end, they would be returned to their youthful selves, but if they aged everyone who’s older selves are still living, this would be a cool way to bring Shat, Nimoy, Uhura, Chekov, and Takei back.
And thereby poop all over the hard work they have done to reboot the series.
No thanks.
That idea…sort of took place in “Search For Spock”.
I wouldn’t repeat that again. Not that it was a bad idea, just that it’s already been done.
Let the baby have his bottle
What baby?
It’s probably a good thing he doesn’t fit in to the new Trek…it’s better not to be associated with that movie.
I could see why he would want to distance himself from the best movie of the year so far.
The only possible, remote, iffy way, not that I endorse it, but…there are TWO ways only I can think of to bring Shatner in for a cameo. and he’s still dead in the old timeline
1- There is an “echo” of his essence connected to that silly Nexus Wave. That’s a huge leap, but that could be possible.
2- Q, which is more plausible for a cameo the only thing with Q Continuum is that I would reserve such character(s) for a Deux Ex Machina. Sides, I’d much rather have Q click his pinky and bring back Vulcan, and not an older Kirk, so that’s that.
Since Time Travel was a key in the ‘loose’ reboot, I don’t think the new crew is going to save the Whales and meet the ‘alternate versions’ of themselves.
He should come back as the Whale Probe or maybe as the Planet Killer.
Viger?
Its time to put these old boned guys to rest and move on, which was the whole intent with Abrhams coming on. They’ve succeeded in capturing the younger crowd… a large, new fanbase who honestly don’t give a flying f..k about shatner or nemoy. Move on. Cut the old, stultifying ties.