Some thoughts on the recasting of Star Trek. Let's have some fun with this!
Welcome to the first edition of Casting Stones. You all know how this works, each column will feature a recasting of something, a television show, a movie, comic book, novel, anything that has characters that can be adapted to the screen. Who knows, perhaps we can help remake-happy Hollywood in casting the films they think we want to see. Maybe we can build enough influence to bend Hollywood to our whims, or something.…
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26 - deejayq
Just a thought... We need younger actors, right? We're going to focus on their Academy days. How about casting complete unknowns? People who have never appeared on-screen before? It worked for the first Harry Potter movie. That way, if this one "prequel" has a potential for becoming yet another Trek franchise, the young unknowns could grow into their roles and reprise them for Prequel #2. (Just remember, our new, young Kirk has to have the verve and swagger of a Shatner to pull of the Kobayashi Maru!) ;-)
27 - Shawn
The only man who could play Scotty is Billy Connolly!! Hands down the best man for the job. Mike Myers would just make a mockery of the character and everyone would just think he was dragging out yet another "scottish" character like fat bastard or the father in "So I Married an Axe Murderer".
As for Chekov, I could see bringing in a new face or a no name actor. That way it could really be the "new guy" or young face just added to the crew. I mean, why not? That's what they did with the new Superman movie!
For Sulu I could see the young asian guy from "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle". I can't remember his name, but he definitely has a great presence on camera and can play a very dry kind of wit on camera but also deliver serious material as well.
I would write in a cameo of Christian Slater though, since he is known for being a huge trekkie and having not seen him in anything in a while, I would like to see him on screen again.
28 - Petra
I, too, read about Matt Damon possibly portraying Kirk and almost puked. I love Shatner and the Kirk he created. I would rather see someone new and fresh play the role than an actor (if you can call Matt Damon that) I truly cannot stand!
I love Billy Zane but I almost think he is too physically "built" to play Spock.
How 'bout Ewan McGregor for Scotty?
29 - Chuck
Someone said, "This is a fun game" and they're right, it is, but I would not trust anyone to do ST-TOS right. It was a different time. I understand the sentiment and rational behind having a Middle East character play the Checkov character. However, I would hope that by ST's time, the proper response regarding the Middle East and Muslims would be "Muslim? What's a Muslim?" C'mon, give war a chance.
30 - Please, no...
Each of these ideas is absolutely horrible. Especially Matt Damon.
31 - wombat Trek
No Halle Berry please
32 - Pete
If we're visiting the original series, what about seeing Ray Liotta as Captain Pike?
33 - raistlinsghost
Any game that lets fans pretend they can pick the cast of the next Trek movie is a fun game! Excellent list Chris, and great additions from the commenters, with this exception:
Jessica Simpson in the role of Yeoman Janice Rand ?!? Are you kidding me? There isn't a less talented person acting in movies today. Just the idea of using her cheapens the whole thing.
But while we're nominating blondes for Janice Rand, how about Allison Mack (Chloe from Smallville)?
And I think Damon, Zane and Sinise are great picks. I also like Daniel Dae Kim for Sulu.
So what are the chances any casting directors are lurking in here gleaning some info from real fans anyway?
34 - Aurens
Campbell Scott as Kirk. He's got the looks, the intelligence and the self-deprecation.
Wes Studi as Spock. He's got that sort of ugly/handsome thing with the Magua stare.
Mark Hamill as McCoy. He could have the distinction of playing the two biggest whiners in SF history.
I'm inclined to say Will Ferrell as Scotty, but he's too big as star now.
35 - Dave Nalle
I would write in a cameo of Christian Slater though, since he is known for being a huge trekkie and having not seen him in anything in a while, I would like to see him on screen again.
If we weren't having to cast younger, I'd stand firm on casting Slater as McCoy. He'd be better than any of the suggestions so far. He has that crazy factor that McCoy had.
Jessica Simpson in the role of Yeoman Janice Rand ?!? Are you kidding me? There isn't a less talented person acting in movies today. Just the idea of using her cheapens the whole thing.
That's the fun of it, man. Did you notice ANY acting talent in the role in the original series?
Dave
36 - El Bicho
"I would write in a cameo of Christian Slater"
He was already in ST6 as Excelsior Communications Officer.
37 - Baronius
If we're focusing on the right age range, how about Chris Pratt (Bright from "Everwood") as Kirk and Topher Grace (Eric from "That 70's Show") as Spock.
38 - st fan
this is a bit daft.
leave the old characters alone.
let new actors play new chracters.
39 - AlbertaLife
First of all, hi to Chris: we met briefly at your father's tribute in LA two years ago. It was great to meet your family.
I think this whole project of recasting the original crew is going to bomb miserably. Get creative and bring us new Star Trek stories, instead of going back in time (Star Trek Enterprise is proof that this idea doesn't play well with trekkers). Besides, no one can replace Shatner, Nimoy, De, Jimmy, etc. Leave it alone.
Give us either more of The Next Generation or move even further into the future and show us the next one hundred years.
40 - Alpesh
i have my own cast in list in mind, i am going on the premise that Matt Damon is confirmed as kirk, and this in turn influences my choices. {i had thought about the possibility of having tobey maguire as kirk and topher grace as spock}
but anyways
i would like to see either Christopher Ecclestone or David Tennant (both British actors who have played Dr. Who recently} they are both camaleon like in their acting abilities and would do brilliantly. But if u want an american then either James Van Der Bleek (dawson from the creek) or Jason Schwartzman
i agree about mccoy
i think Alfred Molina may be a better choice for Scotty, or even William H Macy. because myers would play it with too much of wink-to-the-audience
Alisha king as Uhura
Perhaps Joshua Jackson for Checkov, though I doubt about the russian accent. Tom Welling perhaps?
As for Mr. Sulu, I would go for John Cho (Harold and Kumar go to white castle) though he is south korean, and george takkei is jappanese
41 - Trek Guru
I don't know if anyone has ever seen Star Trek: New Voyages, but the guys over there have done a fantastic job at recasting the originals. Very believable in their roles.
Check it out at startreknewvoyages.com
42 - Cobra Commander
If a remake of the original Star Trek crew were ever to actually get off the ground, and I'm not sure it should, I would be more amenable to unknown actors. I also think that a family legacy role like Chris Doohan as Scotty would be very cool provided he has the acting chops. Jessica Simpson could only ruin anything she touches. She's not even really that hot. Just slutty. Halle Berry would make a terrible Uhura. Obviously she has some talent, but she just doesn't get the genre. She has been less charismatic than a piece of wood in her last 2 roles (Catwoman and Storm). I am especially disappointed in her portrayal of Storm. She has no concept of science fiction. This said, I know it's fun to cast name actors. I do it all the time. Some of the choices here are inspired, but for God's sake, some areally bad.
43 - Gav
"However, I would hope that by ST's time, the proper response regarding the Middle East and Muslims would be "Muslim? What's a Muslim?" C'mon, give war a chance."
Couldn't agree more ;)
Prequel to TOS:
Takeshi Kitano as Sulu's father
The pinnacle of miscasting but it would be fun :D
I saw somewhere else that said Gary Sinise for McCoy; that would be good. And what about William Petersen (CSI) for Kirk? Too old maybe?
44 - Chelle
"but anyways
i would like to see either Christopher Ecclestone or David Tennant (both British actors who have played Dr. Who recently} they are both camaleon like in their acting abilities and would do brilliantly."
Actually, Tennant is Irish, but he plays a brit for Dr. Who.
45 - Chelle
Oops, I meant Scottish on Tennant.
46 - Deano
"Will Ferrell as Scotty"
I Like it - let's redo ST with the entire "frat-Pack" groups of actors!
Ben Stiller - Mr. Spock
Vince Vaughn - Dr. McCoy
Will Ferrell - Scotty
Steve Carell - Chekov
Luke Wilson - Sulu
Jack Black - Uhuru
....and Owen Wilson as James T. Kirk
47 - indrax
The thing about Chekov is that at the time, it was politically acceptable to make fun of russians. Putting any depth into a muslim character would be a political minefield today.
Other global powerhouses: India or China?
I think an indian/hindu would work.
Cuban?
A multiracial actor as a chekov from antartica?
48 - Mrs Brown
So you didn't like my "Aristocrats" cast?
Kirk = Kevin Pollak or Larry Miller
Uhura = Whoopi Goldberg
Spock = Penn Jillette
Bones = George Carlin
=)
49 - Baronius
I'd thought about Luke Wilson as Spock. If age weren't a factor, I'd think Matt Dillon (not Damon) has the right energy for Kirk. If you want to recast the story to today's "controversial" ethnicities, you'd be meddling with the Star Trek canon. There'd be an outcry. Besides, it's sort of implied in Star Trek, and most sci-fi, that religion will completely disappear in the future.
50 - Victor Plenty
There's no avoiding outcry when remaking Star Trek. Someone's going to be upset with any choice you make. Even if you cloned all the actors from the original series, and raised the clones under carefully controlled conditions so they had the exact same appearances, personalities, and cultural quirks as the original actors, some psychotic faction of Trekkies would say they're different somehow.
51 - Devo Fan
Kirk - Charlton Heston ("You damn, dirty Klingons!")
Spock - David Caruso (with wig or hair dye), or maybe George Clooney--he already has the hair cut down
Scotty - Liam Nieson (great Scottish brogue)
Sulu - Jet Li... or Jackie Chan's more used to getting beat up
Uhuru - Queen Latifah ("Open your own damn channel, sir.")
Chekov - I could see Matt Damon in that role
McCoy - Jerry Stiller ("Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker... Serenity Now!")
Yeoman Rand - Sharon Stone
Nurse Chapel - Maybe Faye Dunaway
Security Guard That Gets Killed By an Alien About Twenty Minutes Into the Plot - Owen Wilson
52 - hal_mayne
I Like it - let's redo ST with the entire "frat-Pack" groups of actors!
Ben Stiller - Mr. Spock
Vince Vaughn - Dr. McCoy
Will Ferrell - Scotty
Steve Carell - Chekov
Luke Wilson - Sulu
Jack Black - Uhuru
....and Owen Wilson as James T. Kirk
Careful what you post, These guys might see it and are just crazy enough to try it. :P
53 - Justin
No TOS remakes or prequels. New story, new cast is what Star Trek needs if it wants to move forward.
54 - DrWam
McCoy is a doctor. He can be cast a little older as he would have gone through years of school and residency, or however they train docs in the future. I believe that he was the oldest in the cast anyway.
55 - big fan
when u think about it with a little time all those choices seem pretty good love the gary sinise idea! this could give the franchise it he boost it needs. now about those teaser trailers....
56 - Xan Phillips
All valient attempts but I thought you might to look at our list (which was also a podcast) from July 2005. We had Brad Pitt as...
Xan Phillips presents - Vol. 20: The new Star Trek is called Kirk
57 - SNAFU
"If we're visiting the original series, what about seeing Ray Liotta as Captain Pike?"
heck yeah. Liotta'd make a great Cap'n Pike. I really like some of the rest of these suggestions too. not all of them, mind you. Mike Myers as Scotty? surely you jest! i mean, i really like Mike, but i can't see him lying on his side in a jeffreis tube with a wrench (or whatever), and muttering to himself as he trys to fix something and not making it seem like a farce.
that said, i really don't thnk they ought to do this. Justin was right when he said it was time to moove on. Prequils are just ways for Hollywood to try to squeeze alittle more money out of us while turning canon lore and beloved characters on their ears. don't get me wrong, prequils are all the rage right now and as trekkies (trekkies/trekkers, call yourself what you will) we are some of the trendiest people on earth (well, ok, maybe not), so i understand the appeal this idea has... to hollywood. basically, a prequil is a way to make money without having to think all that hard. i can't speak for anyone else, but i have yet to see a prequil that did not either leave me feeling unsatisfied, intellectually insulted, bewildered (by the changes to the storyline that invalidate the previous/following films), or some mixture of all three.
Yes. Bring back our STAR TREK. Do a good job of it and we'll love you forever. just please don't screw up the whole story laid out over the last 40 years and expect us not to notice or to clap dumbly while you do it (however easily distracted by aliens in skimpy clothing some of us may be).
58 - acb
I don't know why Matt Damon is the obvious choice for Kirk for everyone. I think that the roles of kirk and spock should actually be filled by unknowns who are closer to personifing the characters more than the standard hollywood "casting shuffle." Then with two unknowns, the other roles can be filled in with more recognized faces (such as the perfect choice for sinse as mccoy). I don't know about everyone else, but i want the new film to bring me back into why i enjoyed the original series, not to go to the theater and give me hollywood's version of what they want in star trek.
59 - Jim R. From bumblefuque KY
Haven't seen a picture of Chris Doohan, so I dont know. Myers, until I see a picture of Chris. (scotty)
for spock...Zane...Yes.
For McCoy....Sinise, hands down.
Uhura....not berry? ok well whatever you said else
Checkov...Uhm, check him off...
Sulu...uhm, no. cant see sulu being replaced. Any of you realize Sulu Outed himself recently? Shatner said he always had suspiscions because Sulu always kept trying to set his phaser to "Fabulous" (hey y'don't believe me?! ASK HIM!)
and now Kirk....why I think *I* should be kirk. Why? well, i don't know...maybe not, I kinda liked fruit salad. He didn't. I wonder if he still
has that same aversion to fruit salad like he once did. I dont know......
and You need to have some really good baddie or bureaucrat in the flick. (or maybe someone like a burned out headmaster or something)...Terence stamp (Kneel before Starfleet!...well ok jut stand there, Ya dumb bumpy-head, I dont care! Sh-t!)
or Alan Rickman ("It would be most appropriate to Kneel before Kalas,Now. I should hate to have to ...instill...some discipline into you. I assure you...it would be most...pain-ful.")
60 - HotConflict
The idea of the Klingon representing Arabs or Islam has been suggested before. It would be nice to see a positive character who practices Islam on the show or new movie. MUSLIM... Even if he is on the first landing party, wearing the wrong color shirt!
You can listen to a podcast discussing how Star Trek looks at religion.
61 - Jim R. from Bumblefuque, KY
Now that JJAbrams made his pick and his film... anyone here wondering if he made WRONG choices....
Is Karl Urban a better choice than Gary Sinise?
Is Zachary Quinto a better choice than Billy Zane?
Can Chris Pine handle 'the art of deal making/negotiations/cowboy diplomacy' better than Bill Shatner could?
(remember, half of the reasons people liked the show was because of all the 'horsetrading' and 'skillful diplomatic treachery' going on as well as the dry wittiness of the scripts)
Will sulu be seen having irritabilness instead of smooth cool, because they're ain't a white castle for lightyears around.
Will checkov be rightfully recognized as "King of all russias" and protector of all the "nucluar wessels in Al-a-meeda?"
guess well have to drop in to our localtheater this may and find out....