JJ Abrams Talk Star Trek - page 2

21 November 2008

2Comments | Comment on this Article

Continues Abrams, 'I’m one of those people who loves genre story telling, loves science fiction, loves horror and fantasy. Going to Comic Con, for example, years and years and years ago, it was like, it felt strangely, almost unhealthily - like home. It was just one of those things that I felt I had always been a part of it.'

Fans won’t be surprised to hear that Abrams’ favourite of the original Trek movies is Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan 'I think it has to be the one that I’ve always liked the most. It stayed with me even when I was a kid and it first came out. There are moments that were just kind of indelible.'

Following the recent trend for the aforementioned re-boots, it almost seems inevitable that Star Trek 09 will take heed of recent successes like Bond and Batman and position itself as a darker, more brooding epic right? Wrong.

Abrams insists that Star Trek offers a hopeful and optimistic view of the future 'The Dark Knight is undeniably entertaining and wonderfully made, but it, and many films before it, are incredibly cynical, dark, not quite post-apocalyptic, but pre-apocalyptic movies and I feel like the thing about Star Trek, which is kind of a relief in a way, is that it completely embraces optimism. It is undeniably, just intrinsically, the very root of optimism.

'That humans will not only survive but actually thrive and collaborate with other species. The notion of the final frontier in space exploration is so silly and clichéd in so many people’s minds, but when you actually stop to consider that Star Trek is, whilst a fantasy, our future.

'I love what Roddenberry was doing and I’m proud to continue that spirit as opposed to doing Star Trek: The Dark Years. Which, by the way, I’m sure would be hugely entertaining and wildly profitable.'

Does this means Abrams may be interested in directing the inevitable sequel? 'I can tell you that I would love to see the family, the Enterprise that you get to see come together, what they do next. They are so wonderful, the actors, and seeing them together in these roles is just so much fun that I think there is a sense of wanting to see what’s next.'

Originally intended for release this Christmas, the final cut of Star Trek is pretty much done Abrams tells us, 'We’re basically a couple weeks away from being completely finished and mixed so I’m just going to have to wait five months for release now...it’s going to be completely agonising.'

Star Trek hits screens 8th May 2009