STAR TREK 2 May Be Pushed Back to a Christmas 2012!

According to Deadline, J.J. Abrams’ sequel to his 2009 Star Trek reboot may not be able to meet it’s summer 2012 release date.  The reason?  The writers ( Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof) have been busy with other projects and have been unable to finish the script.  They’ve handed in a 70 page outline, but haven’t even begun the shooting script.  Meanwhile J.J. has been busy with Super 8 (and other projects), so he hasn’t been there to crack the whip or lend a hand.

So what do you think of this news?  Upset that the film will be delayed?  Or glad they’re taking some extra time to get it right?

J.J. Reveals More “Super 8″ Plot Details!

J.J. Abrams, after keeping much of this of his upcoming film Super 8 a secret for over a year, has finally begun dropping plot details.  Here’s what we now know:

The movie is set in Ohio in 1979.  It’s about a group of six kids making a Super 8 zombie film.  While shooting this film, they photograph a trail wreck.  They also photograph an alien climbing out of the wreckage.

This is quite close to what was already guessed at.  But it verifies that the movie is a period piece, and that the children are junior filmmakers.  But Abrams thinks this is more than audiences need to know:

To me, all people need to know is that it’s an adventure about a small town and it’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s scary and there’s a mystery: What is this thing that has escaped? What are the ramifications of its presence? And what is the effect on people? … But I know that’s not enough. Look, I feel we need a little bit of a coming-out party because we are up against massive franchises and brands and most people don’t know what ‘Super 8′ means. We’re a complete anomaly in a summer of huge films … and we don’t want to be so silent or coy that people don’t care or don’t hear about it.

It may be the anomaly but it’s the film we at GR are looking forward to the most.  And we miss the days when studios could keep the plots of movies under tighter wraps.  And we admire J.J.’s ability to come close to that.

Goss to Appear on “Fringe”

Variety reports that Luke Goss (Blade II, Hellboy II) will appear on the Fox series “Fringe” next season.  Details of his role have not been announced.

Goss has made his reputation playing baddies.  Might be nice for “Fringe” to buck that trend.  Let’s see him as a good guy this time.

STAR TREK Gets a Rave from Variety!

It seems like everyone is loving this movie so far.  So far nary a negative review has surfaced.

Zachary Quinto's Spock looking appropriately unmoved by all this praise.

Here’s the Variety rave snipped of spoilers:

Blasting onto the screen at warp speed and remaining there for two hours, the new and improved “Star Trek” will transport fans to sci-fi nirvana. Faithful enough to the spirit and key particulars of Gene Roddenberry’s original conception to keep its torchbearers happy but, more crucially, exciting on its own terms in a way that makes familiarity with the franchise irrelevant, J.J. Abrams’ smart and breathless space adventure feels like a summer blockbuster that just couldn’t stay in the box another month. Paramount won’t need any economic stimulus package with all the money it’ll rake in with this one globally, and a follow-up won’t arrive soon enough.

“Star Trek” here joins the James Bond series as the long-term ‘60s franchises that have been most successfully rebooted, although the current accomplishment is the more surprising since, after 10 films and a succession of TV series, “Star Trek” was widely thought to have exhausted itself. While respectfully handling the Roddenberry DNA, Abrams and longtime writing cohorts Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have transferred it to a trim new body that hums with youthful energy.

As happened with Bond and “Casino Royale,” the Abrams team decided it would be best to go back to the beginning — earlier, in fact, than the first TV show did in 1966 — to show the origins of James Kirk and Spock and the launch of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Stir in a well-chosen cast of relative unknowns, a strong new villain, vastly updated special effects and a dynamic style that makes “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” look 60 years old rather than just 30, and you’ve planted the seed for a whole new generation of Trekkies.

You can read the rest here but there are some minor spoilers.

CLOVERFIELD Sequel?

Cloverfield was not only a hit, but a fan favorite.  Yet, so far, sequel talks have been muted.  J.J. Abrams finally broke the silence on the subject at Wondercon (via Shock Till You Drop):

We’re actually working on an idea right now.  The key obviously at doing any kind of sequel, certainly this film included, is that it better not be a business decision. If you’re going to do something, it should be because you’re really inspired to do it. It doesn’t really have to mean anything, doesn’t mean it will work, but it means we did it because we cared, not because we thought we could get the bucks. We have an idea that we thought was pretty cool that we’re playing with, which means there will be something that’s connected to Cloverfield, but I hope it happens sooner than later because the idea is pretty sweet.

Sounds intriguing.