Arnold Expects Big 'Trek XI' Budget, No Abrams At Helm

[Vic 17]

Star Trek XI Start Date Pushed Back

Source SciFi Pulse

13 February 2007

 

By Ian M. Cullen

 

While at the SF Ball this weekend I found out a few rather interesting bits of information off Star Trek Expert and former Personal Assistant to the late Gene Roddenberry Richard Arnold.

 

It seems that though he no longer holds his position as an official Star Trek Expert at Paramount, he still maintains a few contacts within the inner sanctum of the dark tower.

 

During a Q&A session which he held after he’d auctioned off a lot of Star Trek booty from his personal collection to help raise money for charity, he spoke for about 5 minutes about some of the things which he has been hearing from his friends inside of the studio.

 

First and foremost Arnold told fans that the release date of the movie was going to be put back from a summer release date so as not to have it conflict with the 4th Indiana Jones movie. He revealed that the movie would most definitely get a release in the fall of 2008, probably November. He also confirmed the rumours that J.J. Abrams would not be able to direct the movie due to other commitments, however he added that Abrams has had more of a hand in writing the movie than we to this point have been led to believe.

 

As to casting, when I asked him about the rumours concerning Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and the more recent James McAvoy playing key roles, Arnold dismissed those casting rumours as total bunk. He did say that the studio has a big name in mind to take on the lead role in the movie. He said that it would not be Tom Cruise or Matt Damon.

 

Additionally Arnold revealed that Paramount’s new management are upping the budget on the movie and it seems that the movie will cost twice as much as any of the previous Star Trek movies, which have been made to date.

 

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