More than forty years ago, George Takei became U.S.S. Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu, one of the bravest adventurers in Gene Roddenberry's multi-cultural vision of our future. Now, one half of the "Harold & Kumar" team has taken the torch, and he's high on the script that will soon bring us a "Star Trek" reboot.
"The shoot went great; it was just a dream," marveled John Cho, the new Sulu in J.J. Abrams' highly-anticipated "Trek" film that will go where many have gone before in May 2009. "It is really, explicitly living out a childhood fantasy. So, it was just about as good as it gets for me."
Lucky enough to be one of the new Trekkies whose predecessor is still with us, Cho prepared for the life-changing role by peppering Takei with questions. "With George I was like ‘How is this going to change my life? How are you going to guide me through this process?'" he laughed. "Because there's only a handful of people who know what it's like to have been on that cast, and to have lived through what they lived through. I was just curious to know what was in store for me." Read more...
If you think getting to your office is a grind, you should try working on the U.S.S. Enterprise joked "Star Trek" co-star Bruce Greenwood, who is set to assume the role of original Starfleet captain Christopher Pike in J.J. Abrams' upcoming reboot.
"I can't tell you anything! I gotta stop talking to you. Don't ask me anymore questions!" the veteran actor laughed on the blue carpet at the Independent Spirit Awards, where he was being honored for his work in the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There."
"The disclosure agreement is like, THAT thick," he added, holding his arms six inches apart, before lifting his jacket over his head and wrapping his face in his coat. "We go to the set like this. I'm not kidding...that's all we can do!" Read more...
Over the last few years, Timothy Olyphant has ventured to the Old West in "Deadwood," the suburbs in "The Girl Next Door," and the corridors of power in "Live Free or Die Hard," but in a surprising admission, the actor confessed exclusively to MTV News that he almost boldly ventured where no man has gone before.
"I went in and met with J.J. Abrams about one of the characters," the 39-year-old actor revealed of a secret casting session with the director for the "Star Trek" reboot. "That led to a series of conversations and I was very flattered. Lots of emails exchanged between the two of us. Ultimately I think we both were aware that it just didn't make sense. It was a mutual thing."
Olyphant's confession raises more questions than it answers, of course, chief among them exactly what character he was supposedly up for. Based solely on the actors who eventually signed on, Olyphant would seem most like Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy) in age and temperament, but it's not outside the realm of possibility to think he might have been up for Nero or even Captain Kirk.
Regardless of who he was up for, though, Olyphant is certain Abrams made the right choice with who he eventually got. Read more...
