Abrams Talks Star Trek Sequel
Posted by Rodneyon 11. 10. 2009in News Chat
With the success of Abrams Star Trek sequel/reboot I was surprised at the lack of a sequel announcement with the first week’s boxoffice reports. But it seems that Abrams was just spread too thin, and is now getting around to working on a story idea for Star Trek 2.
Collider quotes Abrams:
In going forward, the fun of this movie series is that we will have the opportunity, given its alternate timeline, to cross paths with any of the experiences, places and characters that existed in the original series, but we have to be really careful, doing that. I don’t want to do something that is so inside that only die-hard fans will appreciate. We’re just now working on the script and just beginning the process of story breaking, but I guarantee you, whatever the story is and whatever the final movie ends up being, I know it will be something that will work on its own terms and be something that you don’t need to know and study Star Trek to get, but if you are a fan, there will hopefully be gift after gift of connections, references and characters that you hold near and dear. At least, that’s the intent.
This is what made Abrams’ Star Trek so likable. This approach that you don’t have to be a Star Trek fanboy to get anything out of the film and it still has enough Trek lore in it to pay tribute to the six remaining fans. That and the cast and the brave rebooting of a sinking ship made Titanic out of the liferaft.
Leonard Nimoy has been quoted saying that Star Trek doesn’t need him anymore, and I kind of agree. However in the interview Abrams mentions that he “can’t imagine a Star Trek movie not needing him” and admits that he loved working with Nimoy and doesn’t rule out the character.
Personally Spock taking on new responsibilities was a nice way to have the character gracefully retire without having a pathetic death scene like Kirk’s. If there is a place for Spock Prime (Abrams term for old Spock) that makes sense in the story, then so be it. But I am satisfied with his exit.
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Six remaining fans? Come on now, be fair. There are thousands of fans left, they just gave up hope of seeing anything new and re-watched the original series again.
That said, I still wanna see Khan again. I wanna see him wake up and take his super human friends straight to Starfleet command and do things. Space battles will ensue, stuff will get blown up, so on and so forth.
I would be happy if they don’t touch on Khan at all.
Khan was pissed at Kirk for something Kirk did, and he hasn’t done it yet. Who knows if this Kirk ever will.
I want to see new stories, not just regurgitate old storylines.
I agree, I’m in the minority that think that a Khan storyline would be a cop out. Nimoy’s involvement was just the right amount of throwback – not too little, not too much. I liked him in it, but I don’t think he needs to be involved as a major character anymore. Give me fresh Trek.
But Khan is still floating out there waiting for someone to find him. In the episode of the Original Series where Khan first appears, he tried to take over the Enterprise. Khan is not a nice fellow to begin with, let alone Kirk leaving him on a planet for how ever many years it was.
New Khan could try something completely different. They re-invented the Joker in Dark Knight, I think re-inventing Khan is possible without being old or stale.
Really, when it comes down to it, I want space battles and phaser phights. If Khan isn’t present, well, whatever.
What would happen if that thing with Khan and Kirk never happened and they meet and become friends. Is that to much of a change?
yup i agree, i want to see new stories too, i mean the set up is perfect for it, it would beat the purpose of having it rebooted in the first place. well lets put it this way, make a new story based on Khan or the super humans, or create an entirely new alien race. or we could kill kirk again lol, nah jk.
No way Kirk and Khan could become friends…that just COULDN’T work. But something interesting could be done with perhaps Klingons discovering Khan. They could try to exploit his super human powers. He would be an enemy of Kirk by virtue of the Klingon/Human animosity. Eventually he would turn the tables on the Klingons and there would be a 3-way battle.
I just want more awesome lens flares!
Even better? None!
Oh great, I had to look it up. I never noticed it before, but I’m sure I will now! Lens flares… awesome.
Intresting Abrams said nothing about a sequel. God forbid he do something in the next film die-hard fans would want to see. Yeah you go Abrams make your movie like The Legend of Chun-Li or Dragon Ball Evolution. Cause look at how big those films were because the cast and crew didnt do a film the die-hard fans would only like.
You might want to read the interview in which he talks about the sequel, where you know… he mentions that they are in the early stages of laying out a story for a sequel.
And I don’t know where you assume Abrams is going to make a sequel like Streetfighter or Dragonball? That made no sense whatsoever.
6 fans? Try millions, dude.
Why do you have to go out of your way to slight the fan base? If there weren’t a fan base, the new film would *never* have been made. Ever. Am I glad Abrams took a fresh approach and made the film more fun than introspective and explorative? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still a fan of the old stuff. And without the longtime fans, you can probably chop off half the box office dough Star Trek scored.
Because the fanbase of millions had a heaving drove of boxoffice success for the last 10 films? You know, the films that never made over $110million world wide each? And that there hasn’t been a Star Trek film in 8 years?
Those fans?
That fanbase did little for the new Star Trek, and its boxoffice had a broader appeal than the meager earnings any of the previous films gained.
Sorry. The die hard Star Trek fans gave up a long time ago pointing fingers and making excuses for their exodus, but that doesn’t change that the franchise died.
Abrams didn’t bring it back, he made something new and paid respect to the old. If there never was a Star Trek before this, the film would still be great.
I agree Rodney, the six remaining fans comment is more than a little condescending. Star Trek might not be your thing but you don’t need to insult those of us that are fans of Trek.
Nah it’s not condescending. Just sarcastic and funny. And a little bit true. Engage Trekkie over-defensive shield!
Insults only hurt when you give truth to them.
Facts on the other hand have validity. If there were still millions of die hard fans of the franchise as it existed six years ago, they would have made 3 more films by now and had at least one ongoing TV series.
I didn’t say you couldnt still like it, but the fanbase didn’t support it and it died.
Just like the rabid fans of Firefly still exist, but they didn’t support the product and it died.
Yet, to lay the blame entirely on the fan base – while not said, is somewhat inferred here in the thread – is inaccurate. The stories in the some original and ST:TNG films were a bit weak. I would say the inconsistencies in quality were what drove some hard core fans away.
At the same time: I can account for at least 12 hard core fans who went to see the new films: that would be me and my family. Thank you. I know you are all impressed.
Um, 5 series (6 if you count the cartoon, though i never watched any of it), around a dozen movies and wicked, incredibly geeky fan fiction series up the ying yang (google hidden frontier and watch an episode — it’s hilarious)….
Yes, millions of fans.
The thing is, though, that doesn’t always translate into mainstream, box office success — but, again, millions went to watch it. The Next Gen cast had one resounding success in the box office (First Contact), but even the complete duds made more than $50 million in the box office, as well as DVD sales. Paramount’s always made the bucks on Star Trek DVDs… they’re a cash cow for them.
Furthermore, why does it have to come down to the almighty Box Office? Fans come in all shapes and sizes (and I don’t mean that literally), some are hard core, some are not, some still enjoyed the newer movies, some were waiting for the fresh breath, some got as exited about new franchises and movies as they did Star Trek. That doesn’t mean the thing died. In fact, the very fact the new movie came out proves that — Star Trek was in triage, but not dead. The fans came out and new ones were made. That’s what any “franchise” needs if its to stay alive. That’s NOT a bad thing, as you make it out to be — Star Trek of old doesn’t quite work anymore. This new one may not after a few sequels, either. None of that is a bad thing; things must change. We don’t watch Robin Hood in tights anymore… we didn’t want campy Battlestar Galactica… but we’re still interested in the franchise.
Next time try to be a little less condescending and a little more thoughtful. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that “millions of fans” doesn’t always translate into box office success — and just because fans may not be excited with newer product doesn’t mean they aren’t fans of the franchise… they may just be waiting for content they find interesting or refreshing again. I can come up with plenty of examples of franchises with “millions of fans” that don’t do particularly well at the box office (and Star Trek has never *quite* been in that catagory).
Should we slight them, too? Not every franchise is geared for being #1 in the Box Office: even the Abrams franchise will never be the biggest hit of the summer, even if it continues to do well. But not every franchise *needs* to be, either. So long as its profitable and still has a decent number of fans, it’ll go on, at least until the story’s done or the creative team’s finished with it.
wow i’m really excited about this! i wish there was more sci-fi movies like this that we could all watch and enjoy.
NEW TREK made a fan of “TREK” never really cared for it before, was really a StarWars ginda guy. That said “Khan” was a decent movie, and probably the best of them all..Logically there going to explore that rout sooner or later..
I was, and still am, a fan of Star Trek. Count me as #7.
As for what the new movie should be about,… Khan is loved by everyone. If Abrams can find a cool way to re-invent Khan, i’d love to see his take on it. If not, i’ll still line up to see Star Trek 12.
I’d like to see them include Gary Mitchell from the second pilot. I always thought it would have been interesting to explore him and Kirk’s friendship.