1-18-08 Project Cloverfield - Warning! Spoilers

The man behind it all. Gene Roddenberry

"J.J. is such a regular guy, and seems so much like a fan because he gets it," Roddenberry said. "While he has to work the way you have to work in Hollywood and balance what the studio wants, he's really on the side of the fans. He really tries to stay true of the continuity and stay true to canon."

Starship Enterprise

Screenrant has a report from a Star Trek panel this past weeknd at Creation Entertainment’s 16th Annual Grand Slam: The Sci-Fi Summitin Burbank, CA. Here are some highlights:

* The movie will be rated PG-13 and have a budget “far below” $200 million. A $160 million price-tag has been floating around the web for months now.

* The most interesting tidbit revealed a story (I had yet to hear) about of how JJ Abrams came onto the project. Apparently Steven Spielberg read the script and helped convince J.J. Abrams to sign on to the project. TrekMovie reports that Spielberg also visited the set during shooting scenes on the Enterprise and helped JJ Abrams work out a scene to help ‘with the action’

* Leonard Nimoy also admitted that “it would have been damaging to the story to put Shatner in the film.” As much as I want to see William Shatner in the film, an attemp to erase Captain Kirk’s death from Star Trek: Generations would waste valuable screen time, and just serve to sidetrack the story.

* The USS Enterprise will be assembled in space, although parts of it will be assembled on Earth.

* Screenwriter Roberto Orci claims that the film was pushed back because “Paramount really wants it to be a summer blockbuster.”

Simon Pegg has reassured 'Star Trek' fans by declaring the USS Enterprise is in good hands under the leadership of director JJ Abrams.

The 'Shaun of The Dead' star has signed on to play Scotty in the much-anticipated 'Star Trek' prequel and insists he wouldn't be in the film if he thought Trekkers would be upset by it.

He says: "Star Trek is very precious to a lot of people and they want it to be right. As a Star Trek fan, I would want the film to be made by a Star Trek fan if I wasn't in the film and it is being made by a fan. (...more)

Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions moved the opening date of the J.J. Abrams directed Star Trek XI film from the original date this Christmas to a May date the following year. There have been different reasons given as to why the sudden move of the opening dates that range from script rewrites that need the writer's strike to end first to the simple reason that the cast and crew just needed more time to meet the deadline.

Star Trek XI producer Damon Lindelof, who also is co-creator and head writer of the hit Television show Lost, took time to give his opinion on the change in dates.

"Moving Star Trek XI from December 2008 to May 2009 will have positive benefits, says Star Trek XI producer Damon Lindelof.

As reported by Trekmovie.com, according to Lindelof, based on Paramount's growing understanding of the movie, Star Trek XI was more appropriate for a summer release.

"It was being presented to J.J. [Abrams]," said Lindelof, "and I have been hearing the same thing from the studio, that based on the dailies they have been seeing and hanging out on the set and seeing and beginning to understand what the movie is, I think that they are starting to look at it as a big summer crowd-pleaser as opposed to a very sci-fi, not-as-accessible-to a-wider-audience Christmas release. So the reason that they have moved the release date is for their ability to market the film and sort of position it as the Pirates of the Caribbean for next summer."

There are other benefits to the later release. "On a budgetary level probably the most significant effect it will have is that we will not have to rush our post [production]," explained Lindelof. "As you might imagine there are a gazillion effects shots. I have seen some of the early work being done by ILM and [visual effects supervisor] Roger Guyett and it is nothing short of astonishing. So they’ll basically have more time to render those effects than they would have if we had to release it by Christmas. So that will probably make the movie a little less expensive to produce."

Lindelof also talked about how the move would affect the release of a full movie trailer. "Obviously the schedule is now going to change to accommodate the new release date," he said. "My guess is that the strategy will turn more into a slow burn. But at this point we also have to be cognizant of once the film is done, and the more we shoot the more likely it is to invite spoilers if we are holding everything back. So we still want to release those images. As far as for the first trailer trailer, I heard we were still on for the summer to have a full trailer for the movie. But I would not be surprised if they decide to hold that back."

Those working on Star Trek XI wanted to make the movie appealing both to long-term fans and yet attract a new audience. "When we all sat down and started to talk about whether or not we wanted to take on Trek, the question was very simple and that question has remained the same: do we think we can make it good?" said Lindelof. "And there is a way to make that movie where the fans will feel that literally four decades of storytelling and canon is not being ignored, but you make the movie so there is an access point for people who want to come in and hear the band for the first time, as it were. We talked about that and kicked some story ideas around and became totally infected with it." (source)

Star Trek director J.J. Abrams is bringing in some scientific brains to make sure his latest adaptation of the Sci-Fi classic has scientific merit. And, he didn't skimp on the talent. Abrams got hold of a scientist from NASA who helped on their planetary visits.

It's starting to sound like a mixed bag when it comes to the original Star Trek cast and who will appear in the new J.J. Abrams directed Star Trek movie.

It is already confirmed that Leonard Nimoy will be back as Spock and that William Shatner will not return as Captain Kirk. As for the other main players DeForest Kelley (Bones) died back in 1999 and James Doohan (Scotty) passed back in 2005. I haven't heard if Uhura or Chekov will be in the new movie but it doesn't look like it at the moment.

George Takei (Sulu) looks to be out at the moment after word came this week that he will not be in the new Star Trek movie.

"TrekMovie.com has talked to sources and Mr. Takei himself to get to the truth. The answer is NO"

"The report on AICN states that Takei "recently had lunch with J.J. Abrams," however Mr. Takei tells TrekMovie.com that it was actually a breakfast last fall before filming began on the project. Takei would not go into details about his talk with Abrams because "the whole conversation is privileged," however the actor did express concern over how not commenting has been "turned into an affirmation" that he will appear in the new Star Trek movie.

"According to multiple sources connected to the film, George Takei will not appear in the new Star Trek. The film makers are fans of Takei's, but he just doesn't fit into the story they are telling." (source)

Man, do these talk show hosts sound dim. Probably because the helicopter dude calls it "Star Track" in the beginning of the video.

J.J. Abrams much anticipated Star Trek flick is getting the bump from Paramount Studios. Originally set to be released in most of the known world at Christmas 2008 it is official that the new release date for Star Trek is now in May 2009.

I haven't received any official word on the reasoning behind the move but some speculate the writer's strike and various rewrites (which couldn't be done until the strike was settled) is a main factor. The move to May 2009 puts Star Trek up against some possible competition in the form of the X Men - Wolverine movie and the Da Vinci Code prequel Angels and Demons.

Some Star Trek updates to pass on to you. The official Star Trek Movie forums are up and running for you fans to get in and toss around theories and ideas. Links to the forums are on the main site as well as International sites for the movie and the Star Trek Facebook page.

• Star Trek Official Movie Site >

(via The National Post) As you prepare to get lost in Lost Thursday night, consider the creative connection between the monster movie Cloverfield and the rebooted Star Trek film. It is J. J. Abrams, the wizard who has mastered both television and film, and is poised to continue his successful ways. So that got me wondering.

The new episode of Lost will partially resolve some shocking developments for the island-stranded plane wreck survivors. The show should score one of the highest ratings for a series in the last few years.

Then there is Cloverfield which has already set a January opening weekend record of $41 millon and by the time Abrams’ Star Trek prequel hits theatres in November the anticipation should be in another dimension. Hot stuff this J. J.

How does Abrams top all of this, I was thinking? What about spinning Lost from a TV series to a climaxing movie. It’s not out of the question, and money changes everything in Hollywood. (...continue)

J.J. Abrams and crew are taking Star Trek down a familiar path. A small viral campaign for the sci-fi movie is popping up and I hope they keep going with it. By viewing the main website for the movie you can access the shipyard where construction crews are building the Enterprise. (click here and hit the small red button near the "under construction" text below the trailer after it loads)

Star Trek is also getting a Facebook page. Cloverfield had a Facebook page which they used to promote the widget contest which featured exclusive pre-release footage of the movie. Star Trek fans keep an eye out there for possible exclusive updates.

• Star Trek on Facebook! >
  

Star Trek's viral picture: Enterprise corridor

• Star Trek Teaser Trailer Online Now + New Viral Site >
  
• NCC-1701 Shipyard >
• Star Trek Official Site (click red dot next to 'under construction' after trailer loads to visit shipyard) >
  

J.J. Abrams is a busy man. Cloverfield will most likely start the year as the first blockbuster while his new Star Trek movie will end the year in similar fashion. With the Cloverfield movie you'll notice the first look at the Star Trek movie with the new trailer in which J.J. steps behind the camera to direct a motion picture for only the second time. The first being Mission Impossible 3.

Also at the beginning of Cloverfield (as well as the Star Trek teaser) you'll notice that Bad Robot (Abrams production company) gets a 3-D makeover on their logo. You can see it a little in this Star Trek Teaser Trailer video below. You'll also see the same text used for both movies.

• 'Star Trek' First Look: The New Enterprise >
  

J.J. Abrams directing a movie right now that everyone's talking about and it isn't Cloverfield. The latest Star Trek flick is going on right now with Abrams behind the camera. It's the first big screen movie Abrams has directed since Mission Impossible 3.

Matt Reeves is the director of Cloverfield with Abrams and his Bad Robot Productions producing the monster movie. While Cloverfield looks to be a popular movie, there's no debating the excitement and fanfare surrounding the new Star Trek film.

That's why it's just good business to put the first teaser for Star Trek in front of Cloverfield when it opens 1-18-08.

• ‘Star Trek’ Trailer Boldly Goes To ‘Cloverfield’ Audiences >
  

The time is almost here for the new Cloverfield/1-18-08 trailer. If the rumors are correct, we should see the new trailer within a week. There is great speculation that the trailer will be in front of the highly anticipated Beowulf which opens wide Friday, November 16th.

Even though it's a week away, screenings will occur over the next week and I'll be sure to keep an eye out for any early trailer sightings. As for Beowulf, the movie is tracking extremely high and has had a huge buzz around it since images were released showing Angelina Jolie doing her CG modeling.

Having Cloverfield show their new trailer in front of the Beowulf movie should result in a huge spike in Cloverfield/1-18-08 buzz. Keeping that in mind, if the movie decides to live up to its viral expectations, we can only hope they might use this time to leap board a new viral campaign.

If Cloverfield ends up opening with a viral campaign consisting of a few lame MySpace accounts and a "Jamie Loves Teddy" site, I'm gonna be real mad. However, I anticipate some interesting updates to the Tagruato site as well as some mysterious videos popping up closer to the opening date.

The only other J.J. Abrams news going on is his casting for the upcoming Star Trek movie, which should start shooting later this week. This week we see Capt. Christopher Pike getting a face and Spock's Mom cast.

Bruce Greenwood, a prolific working actor who has appeared in "I, Robot," "The Core," and HBO's offbeat drama "John from Cincinnati," will be sitting in the captain's chair in the 2008 "Star Trek" movie directed by J.J. Abrams, which began production Wednesday.

Also, add Winona Ryder to the cast list as Spock's Mother. However, Variety says “Paramount Pictures and director JJ Abrams have set Ryder to play the Vulcan mother of a young Spock.”

Considering Spock's Mother was supposed to be human, I'm not sure if that's a misprint or a plot twist.

• Captain Pike cast in new Star Trek >
• Winona Ryder joins Star Trek >
• STAR TREK XI MISCASTING JUST ABOUT COMPLETE >
  

What could possibly be more important than news on the upcoming J.J. Abrams flick, Cloverfield /1-18-08?

How about a sequel to one of the greatest surf movies of all time. Yes, they're going to make Point Break 2! We can finally know the fate of Johnny Utah and Bodhi.

Oh, I can die happy now...

While everything else is downhill from there, I guess I'll just have to see what else is going on. Actuall, only a tiny amount of Cloverfield -1-18-08 related news brewing today. Most of J.J.'s news is centered around the Star Trek movie he's making while the Cloverfield/1-18-08 gets a news update once every 2 weeks.

As you may know, the big news this week is the pre-screen of the new Cloverfield/1-18-08 trailer by CHUD. While only time will tell its validity the real fact that only 11 weeks remain until the movie actually hits.

The Bad Robot homepage got a minor update this past week. This is the production unit of J.J. Abrams and it features only a bad robot graphic. The only difference is the picture size. It's about 1/3 the size it used to be and was for years. A small and insignificant update but the fact they are glossing up their homepage (which is linking via the official Apple trailer) might mean some updates coming soon.

Which leads me to this great find by Cloverfield News about one of the production houses, The Third Floor, who is working on the Cloverfield/1-18-08 movie. As a huge fan of cinema and future producer I find the work that The Third Floor does highly interesting and extremely valuable.

The Third Floor does pre-viz, or pre-visulization. Think of it as electronic storyboards where directors can have quick models of their movies created to see how they will look finalized. Very important when you're working with CG monsters and sets. Their work also includes texturing and 3-D tracking.

They have a great sample reel of their movies clips which demonstrates their work. This group is huge and has done animatics for George Lucas on Star Wars III as well as a range of movies from the Narnia series to Cloverfield.

• Bad Robot Homepage>
• Surf's Up! Point Break 2>
• The Third Floor Inc., Previsualization for Cloverfield/1-18-08>
  

• National Treasure: Book of Secrets has launched a new trailer (here). The original cast and crew including Nicolas Cage return. And how can they top stealing the Declaration of Independence? By kidnapping the President, of course.
• Indiana Jones 4 has wrapped and gotten a nice, new website (here) complete with the Indian Jones theme music.
  
• The X-files are coming back to the big screen. Word is Chris Carter and gang will reunite for a brand new motion picture (here)
• Unlike Cloverfield, the new Dark Knight flick has a healthy viral campaign. Check out the new developments including a new movie still of Heath Ledger as The Joker (more)
  

Chris Pine

J.J. Abrams has finally enlisted the Captain of the Enterprise.

Friends Dave and Thomas dropped me a line that relatively unknown actor Chris Pine will take the captain's chair for the much anticipated movie due out next Christmas. Pine had to drop out of his current role in White Jazz, according to director Joe Carnahan, to take the role of Kirk.

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Also, in Abrams-related news, Roger Michell has signed on to direct the New York comedy "Morning Glory" for Paramount.

This really isn't big news except that Bad Robot's J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing. This is part of the 5-year deal Abrams has with Paramount that includes 1-18-08.

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One last note, 1-18-08 got a mention in viral marketing with the horror/sci-fi television series Alive which launched a gory viral-marketing campaign -- before the series pilot was even produced.

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