Posted:
09:40:50 on November 10
By: Steve Krutzler
Dept: Star Trek X
Whether this analogy will turn out to be accurate, only time will tell. But Rick Berman, in his latest 'Star Trek Update' with the Star Trek Communicator, and this TrekWeb Exclusive transcription, reveals a multitude of information about the next film that sounds a lot like some of his comments surrounding the early development of 'Insurrection'. Berman confirms that Brent Spiner, who has for years been lobbying to be involved with the writing process, has had a rather large role along with John Logan in developing the story, and that the movie will be "a rip-roaring adventure with a lot of humor." Rick goes on to mention a few more elements that you may recognize from some of his comments about 'Insurrection' at this early state, and while drawing conclusions at this point would be premature, the comments about the story cannot escape likening to the previous film; you be the judge...
Q: Rick, it has been announced now that screenwriter John Logan is
working on the story and script for the new Star Trek film. How did
you decide upon him?
A: John is an extraordinary writer, The list of his works is very
impressive- especially in the last few years. I actually met him through Brent Spiner and I am really
looking to working with him. We have not begun working on the script
yet, though John has written the story, along with myself and Brent
Spiner. The premise has been accepted and approved by all the parties
involved, and when all the proper contractual arrangements with our
cast have been completed, John will commence writing the script.
Q: Is Brent Spiner more involved in the story and script on this film
than he has been on past pictures?
A: Yes, Brent has been more involved in the story for this film. He and
John have always wanted to work together on a story, and Brent has
certainly been a terrific part of the process. As far as the script
itself goes, that is all a question of how things evolve.
Q: With Brent involved in the story of this film, is it likely we will
see some new, interesting, developments with the character of Data?
A: Yes, I think you could say that. It's not the reason Brent joined
us in the story process, but there certainly is a wonderful arc for
Data in this movie.
Q: Rick, what do you hope to accomplish with this film?
A: I would love to be part of creating a wonderful movie featuring
these characters that I've worked with for so many years. It is always my
goal to make a great movie and, at the end of the day, that is what I
hope to accomplish with this film. I want it to be able to stand on
its own.
Q: What will be the mood of this film?
A: I think this film is a bit more light-hearted and more
action-oriented. In a nutshell, it's a rip-roaring adventure with a
lot of humor.
Q: What kind of director are you looking for?
A: We haven't even discussed that yet. Jonathan Frakes has done a
terrific job on the last two movies, but I don't know what his
schedule is going to be like. He has another project that he is
involved with now- a movie he is going to be directing for Paramount
and Nickelodean. So I don't know if he is going to be available to do
this or whether we will be looking elsewhere. That is all stuff we
will concern ourselves with after the script has been written.
Q: Will this film feature any of the other franchise characters beyond
TNG?
A: At the moment, no.
Q: Will this movie have an all-new villain or an antagonist we've seen
before?
A: This will have an all-new villain and an all-new race but it will
also feature some previous villains.
Also, on the topic of the new series, Rick Berman says that
there will probably not be a pilot produced in terms of a sales tool and that it has not been determined as to where the series will go. He then
says that he guesses that wherever the series goes, it will most
likely be produced as a full season.
Thanks to Matthew Klaehn for this EXCLUSIVE transcription for TrekWeb!
