"Star Trek" fans new and old have been trying to get excited about the newest movie incarnation of the venerable series, but director J.J. Abrams hasn't given them a lot to cheer about. Especially since the few plot details about the new movie that have leaked out seem scarily reminiscent of a long-feared "Starfleet Academy" project that executives at Paramount Pictures have been intrigued by for years. One bright spot has been the return of Leonard Nimoy as Spock, but the news this week that Eric Bana would play the movie's villain, Nero, was another example of a "yawn" coming from the Abrams camp -- especially if he's the "big star" fans have been clamoring for to help resurrect the franchise.
Bana broke onto the international scene after a gutsy performance in 2000's "Chopper" and was hailed as the next big thing, nabbing roles in "Troy," "Munich," "Hulk" and "Lucky You." And while many Australians insist Bana was a hilarious comedian before his Hollywood movie career began, the actor has shown about as much on-screen charisma as a piece of driftwood. So, it's hard to believe he'll somehow be compelling as an epic villain.
More distressing is that, with production scheduled to begin next month, "Trek" has gone down to the wire on casting major roles across the board. False rumors of Matt Damon's participation aside, the biggest role to be filled just happens to be the series' hero, Captain James T. Kirk. Mike Vogel, soon to be seen in the Abrams-produced "Cloverfield"/"1-18-08"/"We're Too Cool to Give You a Real Title," seemed to be the front-runner a few months ago, but now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting newcomer Chris Pike is the leading candidate. Yet even this relative unknown may turn down the iconic role to star opposite George Clooney in the thriller "White Jazz" instead. And while the young Spock (Zachary Quinto of "Heroes"), Chekov (Anton Yelchin of "Alpha Dog") and Uhura (Zoe Saldana of "Guess Who") have been found, there hasn't been a peep about who is playing Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.
Abrams loves to be secretive about his projects, but this ain't "Lost" or "Alias." There are a lot of skeptics out there, and playing possum only makes the seeds of doubt grow. Give the fans and moviegoers in general something to get hyped up about, Mr. Abrams. Based on this cast, your movie is gonna need it.
Update: Breaking news! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Simon Pegg, of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" fame, has been cast as Scotty and "Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle's" John Cho is set to play Sulu. Is Pegg's presence enough to get excited about? Um ...
