J.J. Abrams: Star Trek film for fans of movies, not Star Trek

J.J. Abrams says his forthcoming Star Trek prequel will appeal to fans of movies, though not necessarily to fans of the long-running television and movie franchise.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the Cloverfield producer said the feasibility of any future Star Trek films may depend on attracting a new generation of fans to the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) was a resounding box office flop, a fate Abrams hopes to avoid when his Star Trek hits theaters in 2009 by returning to the series’ roots. Of course, he'll also toss in a few special effects.

“[Directing Star Trek] was an opportunity to take what I think has been a maligned world—to sound crass, a franchise—and treat it in a way that made it something that I wanted to see," Abrams told the AP. "To take the characters, the thoughtfulness, the personalities, the sense of adventure, the idea of humanity working together, the sense of social commentary and innovation, all that stuff. To take it and apply it in a way that felt genuinely thrilling."

While Abrams said he would also like to retain die-hard fans of the Star Trek universe (and was sure to include a dedicated “Trekker” on his writing staff) he didn’t want the fans’ expectations to influence his vision for the upcoming film. “You can't really make a movie for them,” he said. “As soon as you start to guess what you think they are going to want to see, you're in trouble. You have to make the movie in many ways for what you want to see yourself, make a movie you believe in. Then you're not second-guessing an audience you don't really have an understanding of.”

Abrams’ Star Trek will act as a prequel to the franchise’s later installments, and features a young cast of actors portraying the crew mates in their early days on the Enterprise, including Munich’s Eric Bana as the villain Nero and Shaun of the Dead’s Simon Pegg as Scotty. The Lost creator is also promising ground-breaking special effects, courtesy of another spacey film auteur’s special effects unit, George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic.

Leonard Nimoy may be returning for a cameo in Abrams’ film as the iconic Spock, but anyone expecting a re-hash of the television series or past movies may be pleasantly surprised. “I feel like this is so unlike what you expect, so unlike the `Star Trek' you've seen,” Abrams says. “At the same time, it's being true to what's come before, honoring it.”

Thanks to /Film for the tip!

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