Archived News
1/13/10
William Shatner Howard Stern Interview
Star Trek star William Shatner was a guest on the Howard
Stern Radio Show. Relevant excerpts:
Quivers: Are you
lobbying to be in the next [Star Trek]?
Shatner: I wouldn't mind [laughs]
Stern: But you would
have preferred to have been in this first one
Shatner: Of course I would have loved to have been
part of this historic event. But how do you bring back to life this dead...I died my character died.
Stern: He did a great
job with it. And the kid who played you was fabulous. And I can't believe that
you are not going to see this kid who played you.
Shatner: All right. So JJ said to me, he would have a
screening at Paramount. I thought "wow what a glamorous thing." He'll
rent the theater, it seats two or three hundred people, I'll invite my family
and friends and we'll have it catered and we'll all watch. So I haven't done
that yet, but I am about to. In fact, if JJ is listening, and I think he does,
JJ get ready, I am going to take you up on your offer.
Stern: The plot of the
movie does leave it open that you could appear, there are ways for you to be in
this.
Shatner: Well I hope they desperately search them
out. But I am very expensive.
11/17/09
William Shatner GQ Interview
GQ
Magazine has an extensive feature and interview
with Star Trek star William Shatner and here is an excerpt courtesy of TrekMovie.com:
Here is
what Shatner had to say about his recent meeting
with J.J. Abrams "[JJ]'s
so funny. I texted him. He wants to have a meeting
with me. He told me a couple months ago...so, a couple weeks ago I texted, I
said "when the f-k is the meeting, I'm not going to live much longer, and
you better have a meeting with me before I die. And he texted back saying
"well, don't die before next week"
11/18/09
Newsarama Roberto Orci Interview
Newsarama posted
a new interview with Star
Trek writer Roberto Orci. Relevant excerpt:
Nrama: So, Shatner accepting a Scream
Award for JJ Abrams...does that mean anything? That he might show up in
the sequel?
Orci:
Well, we wrote a scene for him in the first one and I got outvoted in terms of
where it ended up. I'll write another one and we'll see what
happens. [laughs]
10/17/09
William Shatner Canadian Press Interview
The Canadian Press posted a new interview with Star
Trek star William Shatner.
Regarding an appearance in Star Trek XII, Shatner states: "I think the problem they have is getting the character I played into it, and the physical change I've had in 45 years, and how do you rationalize it in the story - I don't know," he said. "If they should write a decent involvement in the story to what I would do, I would certainly consider it."
10/8/09
IESB/Collider J.J. Abrams Interview
IESB and Collider interviewed Star Trek director J.J. Abrams.
Relevant excerpt:
Q:
You've said that the hardest decision for you was to not include William Shatner in the movie. Are you thinking about putting him in
the next movie at all?
Abrams: The Shatner thing comes up quite a bit. As
someone who was a William Shatner fan, in a huge way,
just because of The Twilight Zone episodes he did, and then completely
appreciating what he did in Star Trek, but not really becoming a fan until I
started working on this movie, it was a foregone conclusion that we wanted Shatner in the movie. The problem was that his character
died, on screen, in one of the Trek films, and because we decided, very early
on, that we wanted to adhere to Trek canon, as best we could, which was a huge
challenge, because even the original series, in many ways, didn't always adhere
to Trek canon, the required machinations to get Shatner into the movie would have been very difficult to do, given the story we wanted
to tell, and also to give him the kind of part that he would be happy with. It
was this thing where it would have felt like a gimmick, in order to get Shatner in the movie, which would have honestly, to me,
been distracting. Having said that, would it have been fun to have him in the
movie? Of course. Would it be great to work with him?
No doubt. I was as excited to work with him, as I was Mr. Nimoy,
who we luckily did have in the film. In terms of moving forward, I am open to
anything. I would love to figure out something, given the challenge of
introducing these new characters and given the burden of having to cast these
people. I feel like the first movie did some of the heavy lifting that needed
to be done, in order to free us to continue, going forward. Maybe there's less
of a burden and there's going to be more opportunity to work with him again. I
would love to work with him. We speak. We actually have a lunch date planned.
I'm a fan. I'm a friend of his. Or, he's at least a friend of mine. He may say
otherwise on his blog today. I have no idea. But, I really couldn't like him
more and would love to work with him.
5/15/09
MTV J.J. Abrams Interview
MTV posted a new interview with Star
Trek director J.J.
Abrams. Relevant excerpts:
"The fun
of this [new alternate 'Trek' reality] is that the destiny of these characters
is in their hands - it's not constrained by the pre-existing films or TV
series," Abrams explained. "Believe me, whether it's William Shatner or Khan ... it would be ridiculous to not be open to those ideas."
Regarding Shatner's Kirk, Abrams said "I wouldn't rule out
anything. The point of creating this independent timeline is to not have the
restrictions we had coming into this one. And one of those restrictions was
that Kirk was dead."
"But this all assumes that there's another story that's going to be
told," Abrams cautioned, saying that there's a lot of work to be done
before such ideas can be sorted out. "We're all still coming down from making this movie."
5/11/09
Orci and Kurtzman Reveal The Originally Planned Shatner Cameo
io9 posted a new interview with Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and here are few excerpts.
Did
that [Shatner scene] even get tossed around at all?
Orci: We wrote it, it was in the script.
Kurtzman: The very last scene when Spock and Spock
meet each other, finally. And elder Spock is convincing young Spock that he
couldn't interfere, because it would have diverted [Kirk and Spock] away from
their friendship. And that their friendship is the key to the whole sort of
shebang.
Orci: He gave him a recorded message from Kirk.
Kurtzman: He [elder Spock] said, "Don't take my
word for it." And he handed him [younger Spock] a little holographic
device and it projected Shatner. It was basically a
Happy Birthday wish knowing that Spock was going to go off to Romulus, and Kirk
would probably be dead by the time...
Orci: It turned into a voiceover, at the end of the
movie.
Whew! Well, once again we dodged a bullet. If Shatner had been given a cameo in Star Trek XI, it would NOT have reversed his death in Generations. And he probably wouldn’t have appeared in another film after that. So it’s probably for the best that Shatner didn’t appear in THIS film.
5/8/09
J.J. Abrams Buzzine Interview
Buzzine posted a new interview with J.J. Abrams. Relevant excerpt:
EI: Have you spoken to William Shatner? He seemed upset that he wasn't in the film.
JJA: We spoke to him in the beginning. He wanted to be in the film. He made it clear to us that he didn't want to do a cameo, which meant not only changing our story significantly but also bringing his character to life since he died. Every time we tried to figure out a version of that, it felt like we were just trying to bring a character back to life that we liked. But if we're lucky and there will be another movie, I'm sure there will be another opportunity to work with him.
5/7/09
Trekmovie.com J.J. Abrams Interview
TrekMovie.com posted a new interview with Star
Trek director J.J.
Abrams. Relevant excerpts:
I think the hardest decision that I
felt was not having William Shatner in the movie. And
that really was because, as a non-fan, you feel like ‘you got to have Shatner in the movie - come on!' And then I realized he had
died in [Star Trek: Generations], which I had not seen before I was
working on the film, that getting him back in the movie would literally mean
starting from scratch and coming up with a new story. And the decision to move
forward, despite the necessity given our story, and to exclude the guy that
everybody associates with the series - that bothered me. And yet I felt like we
had to do this for this movie. Talk about the wrath. I thought we are going to
eat it, fans are going to kill us. And yet the reason
why I felt it might ultimately work for us is it felt like the righteous
decision. It felt like we need to do it for the story, but the righteous
decision is not always the easiest.
TrekMovie: So when you said at Comic Con 2007
that you were working hard to find a way, you really meant that.
Abrams: No question. Why in a million years would we not want him in the movie. It would only be better to have him in the film. But even before everyone was talking about ‘Trek canon'. Everyone was like ‘we want you to follow canon'. Now I know, in fact the first
sequence of the movie, veers hard left from Trek
canon, but that is the point. As much as we could we wanted to be consistent
with the thread that had been established. A lot of the same people who were
saying ‘you must follow canon!' were saying ‘Shatner has got to be in the movie!' Dude, how do you do both of these things!? We
could have created some sort of time travel detour thing, but literally when
you start going down that path, especially with Mr. Shatner saying he did not want to do a cameo, it became this whole thing that would
literally be a reinvention of our reinvention. It is just too hard.
TrekMovie: I would have to agree after
seeing the film that it wouldn't work with this film, unless you wanted to
bring up the word ‘Nexus'
Abrams: Exactly [laughs] which we were not going to do.
TrekMovie: But hey, you got the sequel...
Abrams: That's actually a possibility.
4/30/09
RadarOnline.com Shatner Interview
RadarOnline.com posted a brief interview
with Star Trek star William Shatner.
Shatner said:
"I'm delighted that there has been new blood coursing through the veins of STAR TREK with J.J.
Abrams and his team."
"I'm sure we can look forward to many more iterations of the beloved
franchise. And who knows? Perhaps the old Kirk will meet the new
Kirk." he said.
4/26/09
IESB.net interview with J.J. Abrams.
IESB.net posted a new interview with Star
Trek director J.J.
Abrams. When asked why he didn’t put Shatner in the film, Abrams responded:
“Nothing would have
made us happier than to have William Shatner in this
movie. His character died on screen, in one of the films. When we tried figure
out a way to put him in, every time we did it, it was a gimmick. Every time we
figured out a way that we thought it could work, it ended up being a gimmick,
unless the whole story was about bringing him back, and that would have changed
the entire story that we wanted to tell. So, it was either change everything or do it without him. But, we definitely love Mr. Shatner. Working with him is something that we would
obviously be thrilled to do, and wanted to do. It just literally didn't work
for our story, and he didn't want to just do a cameo. We could have done a flashback,
but he didn't want to do that. And, if we had reinvented everything, it would
have just been crazy. And, the YouTube thing happened because I was interviewed
about it and I said, which was true, that we tried
many different ways to get him in the movie and it just didn't work. I guess he
heard it and thought that they were saying that we had tried to get him in, and
called him and were making efforts, so he did this video saying, "You
didn't call me." So, then I had to respond to that and say, "No, no,
no, I don't mean we called you. We were trying, internally, to tell a story
that was worthy of you and worthy of the audience." There was no way to do
it and have it not be a cameo, so it didn't work in this one. But, all is
good.”
4/24/09
William Shatner Extra Interview
Extra posted a new interview with Star Trek star William Shatner. Relevant excerpts:
Shatner says there's no feud between him and the new
cast of "Star Trek." "I wish them all the best," he tells
"Extra." "I certainly hope it's a great success."
"There's no bad blood. It's great fun. J.J. [Abrams] and I have been jousting with
each other on the airways... we were having fun." he said.
Shatner is also reaching out to the new Kirk, actor Chris Pine, saying,
"Chris, good luck... and hold your breath. It's going to be a
whirlwind."
When asked if he plans to see the movie, Shatner said, "I will eventually." Will he ever return in a future Star Trek sequel ? "I would love to," he admitted. "If
the movie is successful and they make another one, never say never as James
Bond... I loved 'Star Trek' in all its many phases. I dearly would love to be a
part of it."
4/23/09
Shatner Wizard Interview
Wizard posted a new interview with Star Trek star William Shatner. Relevant excerpts.
Well,
if you're going to ask [Leonard Nimoy] about
anything, why not the new "Star Trek" movie? Has he spilled any
details?
Not only has he not talked to me about it, he hasn't let me think about it. I
don't know when it's coming out, I don't know what the plot is, I don't know who's in it. I literally know nothing.
We hear you've been
calling out director J.J. Abrams in a series of online videos.
Well, I've been pulling his leg on the Web a bit. Pulling the Web over his
eyes! I believe he said something like, "I don't know when my life became
answering Shatner on the Web!" So I've just been
keeping at him. He has to call me!
Were you ever approached
to be in the film?
When they were thinking about doing the movie, they talked to me a couple of
times, I don't know what it really was all about, and then they stopped talking
to me and went their way. But you just know it's going to be wonderful because
J.J. Abrams is such a good moviemaker.
We think it's kind of
silly that they're using the excuse that you died in "Generations."
Dude, everyone on "Star Trek" died at one time or another and came
back!
Yes, including the ship! I keep thinking about amber, how they have these
insects that are trapped in this liquid for millions of years, fossilized, and
how they're talking about being able to extract DNA from them. And therein lies the mystery of Kirk's return!
Are you seriously
bumming that you're not in the movie?
I can't understand it as a business decision. I could be talking to you about
the Bluewater comics and the movie, but I'm not in
the movie, so I have nothing to say! I just regret that I'm not a part of it.
But if it's successful, then maybe there will be a call.
4/2/09
Rumor Mill: Shatner Appearing In Star Trek XII
According to ABC Action News, Star Trek star William Shatner may have a role in Star Trek
XII, the upcoming sequel to the new Star Trek movie, likely to be released in
2011. Here is an excerpt of the article.
According to the article sources, officials at Paramount Pictures are
reportedly keen to get Shatner to be in Star Trek
XII.
A source tells Britain's Daily Express newspaper:
"It's
well known Bill was disappointed not to get a cameo (in the 2009 film). But now
Paramount Pictures has been given the go-ahead for a sequel and there are hopes
he'll make a brief appearance."
"It's
now felt it would be fitting finally to have Shatner back, Hopefully they can work something out,"
said another source.
Just rumor, take it with a grain of salt.
3/25/09
Orci/Kurtzman Sci Fi Wire Interview
Sci Fi Wire posted a new interview with Star Trek movie writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Regarding a Shatner appearance, Kurtzman stated:
“There's been a lot of debate about that. ... We just, we really tried very hard to get him in there in a way that felt organic, but the problem was that because he died in continuity [in Star Trek: Generations], ... I think it would have felt a little bit cheap, is what we all decided. And, you know, we really struggled with it, because we wrote a scene that we really loved, and, ultimately, I think it might have felt like an add-on, you know? Whereas our story, without giving away too much, Spock [played by Leonard Nimoy] is such a critical part of the story that literally the story cannot be told without him.”
3/20/09
Shatner Absolute Radio Interview
In an interview, Shatner told Absolute Radio:
"I find it incredible [that I'm not in the new movie] but I've lived with this for a year so I've began to salve the wound. Actually I called J.J. Abrams who is producing and directing the other day and I invited him to come to the party of the Hollywood Charity Horse Show. We've had some laughs and I urged him to bring the cast of Star Trek to the movie so they may well do so."
2/26/09
Shatner IGN Interview
IGN posted a new interview with Star Trek star William Shatner. Relevant excerpt:
IGN: Of course, we can't let you go without asking about
the upcoming Star Trek film...What are your thoughts on seeing this
classic series reimagined?
SHATNER: Well, first of all, I have no involvement. None whatsoever. To the point where I have no idea what the script is about, even though Leonard
is in it. He was obligated not to tell me anything. I know nothing. As for my
feelings, I regret not being a part of that Star Trek revival. I hope it
goes well. Star Trek is a wonderful vehicle. It's unfortunate that I'm not in
it, in that I could have lent my own persona and publicity and my help to make
it successful. But I'm not involved one iota!
1/15/09
J.J. Abrams Sci Fi Wire Interview
Sci Fi Wire posted a new interview with Star
Trek director J.J.
Abrams. Relevant excerpt:
Regarding William Shatner, Abrams said "I was quoted as
saying we tried to get him in the movie. What I meant was we were trying
internally to find a way to take a dead character and resurrect him without it
seeming lame. We couldn't figure out a way to do it. I think that when I said
we tried to get him into the movie, he read it as if we were trying to call
him. I would not have wasted his time with a bad idea."
11/08/08
Shatner in Star Trek Magazine
The September/October issue
of Star Trek Magazine features an
interview with William Shatner and here are more excerpts.
Regarding
the new Star Trek movie, Shatner said "I had a couple of meetings
with J.J. Abrams,
but I dont know what those meetings were about when I
look back. I have no idea what they were about. And so I have no connection
with the film whatsoever. It's the strangest thing. Even my dear friend Leonard [Nimoy]
won't tell me what it's about. He clams up. I think perhaps there's an
explosive charge in his head, that Abrams put in there, and should he say the
words 'Star Trek' it goes off. And he thinks it's a migraine, but it's really
his death."