UPDATE: Paramount has confirmed to MTV that this news is indeed true. No surprises there, given the original source. Kudos to Deadline Hollywood for snagging the scoop!
Speculating fans of the "Mission: Impossible" series need speculate no more. We've been hearing for awhile about "Mission: Impossible IV." "M:I3" director J.J. Abrams told us in October that he probably wouldn't be back to direct, but he'd stay involved as a producer. He then told us in January that star Tom Cruise was "part of the plan" for the next one. Today's news supports both of those assertions.
It turns out that Cruise will, in fact, reprise his Ethan Hunt role to star in "Mission: Impossible IV," as reported by Deadline Hollywood. He will also produce the film, along with Abrams, and the two are currently searching for their director. The script, as had previously been reported, will be penned by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. Read more...
"I have to admit," J.J. Abrams said the other night on the National Board of Review red carpet, "the ['Star Trek' sequel] is really all about the Gorn." As any self-respecting "Trek" fan knows, the Gorn are a green-skinned humanoid race resembling giant lizards.
"We just thought it would be fun... to go Gorn," he said with a grin, driving the joke home.
Abrams wasn't all jokes on the red carpet however. He did have a few things to say about two upcoming sequels, "Star Trek" and "Cloverfield," when questioned by MTV's Josh Horowitz. Read more...
Last summer, news started to percolate about the IMF returning to the big screen in "Mission: Impossible IV." In the months that followed, more news trickled out. The biggest break was word that "M:I III" writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman would be replaced by "Alias" writer/producers Andre Nemec and Josh Applebaum. A big question still remained however: would star Tom Cruise be back for a fourth helping?
MTV's Josh Horowitz asked producer and "M:I III" director J.J. Abrams that very question on the National Board of Review red carpet two nights ago.
"The goal would be for that to occur," Abrams said, skirting around actually mentioning anyone or anything by name. So Josh pressed him a little. Read more...
UPDATE: Paramount has confirmed to MTV that the projected release date for the "Star Trek" sequel is indeed June 29, 2012.
This counts as news, but there's not much to it. We all know there's a "Star Trek" sequel coming. Hell, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, writers/producers of the May reboot, were talking about sequel possibilities as far back as the week after the first movie came out. Now we have a date to pin our hopes to: June 29, 2012.
Nothing else is known or announced, so don't ask. Maybe director J.J. Abrams will return to helm the sequel, maybe he won't. Maybe Khan will be the villain, maybe not. For all we know, the plan is to give us an epic "Star Trek Meets Star Wars" crossover. Could happen, right? Read more...
It's easy to see why J.J. Abrams is such a hot commodity after revitalizing the "Mission: Impossible" franchise and making "Star Trek" cool again with last summer's blockbuster reboot. But the director's next voyage might not be with Ethan Hunt or the U.S.S. Enterprise — it could be something wholly unknown.
In a New York Times interview with Paramount Pictures chairman Brad Grey, it's revealed that while Abrams' name is still attached to the "Mission: Impossible" and "Star Trek" franchises in some capacity, the filmmaker's next directorial project might be a new unannounced "tentpole" film. Read more...
In the long, long (loooooooong) lead-in to the release of J.J. Abrams' reboot of the "Star Trek" franchise, a lot of rumors surfaced concerning who would be joining the cast. At one point, Gary Sinise, Adrien Brody and Matt Damon were even said to be playing the legendary threesome of Dr. McCoy, Spock and Captain James T. Kirk.
Well recently, MTV's Josh Horowitz had the opportunity to speak with Abrams, and his "Trek" star Chris Pine, in an exclusive interview pegged to the fact that, in 2009, these two guys rank among those that we movies fans are most thankful for. And a decision was made to find out exactly what truth lies behind those years-old casting rumors. Given how well "Trek" worked with a cast that was relatively devoid of big-name superstars, one has to wonder if Abrams ever really did call Damon up to talk about the Kirk role. Read more...
FROM MTV.COM: With a worldwide box-office haul of $384 million, "Star Trek" was one of the biggest movies of the year. But more important than its cash haul was the mere fact that director J.J. Abrams pulled the franchise from the cinematic dustbin and gave it a sleek, big-budget sheen. "Trek" was finally back, and perhaps it was cooler than it'd ever been. A lot of the credit for the cool factor goes to Chris Pine, who took on the iconic role of James T. Kirk and made it his own.
We at MTV News couldn't be more grateful that the U.S.S. Enterprise is once again patrolling outer space, which is why Abrams and Pine are two of the entertainers we're most thankful for in 2009. In a recent chat with MTV News, both these guys reflected on the experience of making "Trek," revealed some secrets about the project that we never knew and talked about the future of the franchise.
Continue reading J.J. Abrams And Chris Pine Have Our Gratitude For Rebooting 'Star Trek'
The Blu-ray/DVD isn't the only "Star Trek"-related piece of awesome hitting stores today. Serious fans can also pick up "Star Trek: The Art of the Film," from Titan Books. We ran a few exclusive monster design sketches last week to psych you up, and now we have a couple more looks at the book.
These are no sketches though. Oh no... we've got photos to share today. Two of them. First up is a look at the rebooted bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, from various angles. Pretty badass, but it doesn't compare to the second one. It's a full Enterprise crew cast shot taken on the bridge, only Abrams himself is in the captain's chair. As he should be. The poster above you might've seen before, but I love the design of it so much that I'm running it to go with this post. Hit the jump for the exclusive hotness. Read more...
Back in May, J.J. Abrams delighted fans and newcomers alike with his mass audience-friendly (yet still fan-serving) reboot of "Star Trek." It's been a six month wait, but finally we all get to enjoy the movie at home thanks to today's Blu-ray/DVD release. What many people may not realize however, is that the wait could have been longer.
"Trek" was originally set to hit theaters on Christmas Day in 2008. Paramount chose to delay that release to May 2009, which turned out pretty well. Abrams didn't mind either, since it gave him extra time to ensure that the movie would have something for all who might be interested. "We had the luxury of time," he said in a recent interview with MTV's Josh Horowitz. "I would argue that literally the last ten days of our post process we did 30% of the work." Read more...
"From the very beginning, we talked about wanting to do a Kirk and Spock story." That's "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams, speaking on how the story for the May hit was originally conceived. The clip below, a brief snippet focused on the Kirk/Spock origin story, comes from the bonus content included on the DVD/Blu-ray, which hits stores today. Check it out.
Abrams and his team, including writing superstars Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, made the right move in focusing on the birth of Kirk and Spock's friendship. It is as essential to the DNA of the series as the name "U.S.S. Enterprise." As much as the two butt heads in this reboot, they have to be friends in the end if Abrams' is to have any hope of pleasing longtime fans. Read more...
