As a guy who’s been a “Star Trek” fan since his 1975, building phasers-with-Legos pre-school days, I’m really looking forward to seeing what J.J. Abrams does this May with his take on the famed franchise. I caught up recently with Chris Pine, who plays Captain Kirk in the film. (Kirk is by far Pine’s biggest role; previous credits include parts in “Smokin’ Aces” and “The Princess Diaries 2.”) I asked him if his version of the character resembles the friendly, fun-loving man of action we’re used to seeing.

“I think that with this Jim Kirk you’ll get the flavor of the old,” Pine said. “I tried to bring my own take to it and do justice to what Mr. [William] Shatner did before, but you get to see the full spectrum of Jim Kirk. There’s the young, bold, brash, cocky [quality] and I think there’s a maturity that happens within the arc of the character in the movie that’s really fun that I think people will respond to.”

But what about Leonard “Bones” McCoy? I’ve always had a fondness for the cantankerous, mint julep-sipping country doctor. For my money, some of the best character moments of the original series involved him and Kirk. I think my favorite is from the episode “The Immunity Syndrome.” (I told you I was a Trek geek!) Spock is in a shuttle craft trying to escape a giant space amoeba. He’s pleading with them to leave him behind and save themselves. Bones replies, “Shut up Spock, we’re rescuing you!” and both he and Kirk give the absent Spock a funny “so take that” nod.

In Abrams’ film, Karl Urban of “Lord of the Rings” and “Bourne Supremacy” fame is assuming the role made famous by the late, great DeForest Kelley. Pine says Urban was up to the task.

“Yeah, Urban is, oh, he’s fantastic. I think when people see what Karl did with the role they’re going to be blown away,” Pine said. “I mean, it was a shock when I found out that he was doing it, he’s such a great-looking guy. He’s such a leading man and to take on this classic character role … he is like the doppleganger of DeForest Kelley. But he brings his own Karl sensibility to it so people will really enjoy it.”

source

The stars of the new ‘Star Trek’ movie on reviving a much-loved franchise
The coming movie “Star Trek” is meant to completely reboot the science fiction franchise — which may be why the title doesn’t sport Roman numerals. Director J.J. Abrams recruited a new crew of actors to portray characters that have long been linked to the cast of the original “Star Trek” TV series, which first aired in 1966. Inheriting the role of space explorer Capt. Kirk from William Shatner is relative newcomer Chris Pine. Zachary Quinto, best known as a villain on the NBC series “Heroes,” plays Mr. Spock, a half-human alien who champions logic over emotion. The character was first embodied by Leonard Nimoy. The new movie focuses on the volatile youth of Kirk, Spock and their crewmates. The stakes are high: The property has been moribund on screen since the TV series “Star Trek: Enterprise” was canceled in 2005. In separate interviews, we spoke to Messrs. Pine and Quinto.

Chris Pine as Capt. Kirk
WSJ: J.J. Abrams has said he’s making the movie for future fans, not necessarily veterans. What’s he doing to freshen the story that might rattle Trek fans?
Mr. Pine: I’m not well-versed in the Trek canon, but we’re venturing into territory that’s only been covered in these paperback novels they sell. It’s definitely not going to please everyone. There’s a scene where my character is in a bar and he’s definitely inebriated and under the influence of his own arrogance. It’s him becoming the Kirk everyone knows. In my book that makes the journey a little more interesting. If he’s a clear-cut leader from the beginning, you don’t have anywhere to go.

SR: do you think they’ll keep the music that was just used?
Chris Pine: I hope so. It was pretty good, wasn’t it?

SR: How does it feel to take on the role of Kirk?
Chris Pine: Challenging.

SR: So are you signed up for more?
Chris Pine: It’s a standard three picture deal. But it depends on how well this one does, if there’ll be more.

More videos after the cut 😀

MoviesOnline sat down with Bill Pullman and Chris Pine at the Los Angeles press day for their new movie, “Bottle Shock,” directed by Randall Miller and shot on location in California’s wine country. Based on a true story, the film reveals America’s initiation into and contribution to vinification, along with the enterprising and passionate artisans who bottle it.

It’s 1976, and Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) is struggling to create the perfect chardonnay at Chateau Montelena, his vineyard in the not-yet-famous Napa Valley, where he has jeopardized everything for a dream. His son, Bo (Chris Pine), at first glance doesn’t seem to have inherited his father’s love for the family business, and the two of them are often found duking it out in the backyard boxing ring, each trying to knock some sense into the other.

Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), a British expatriate living in Paris who owns the strugging Academie du Vin, develops an idea to educate Parisians on the new wines coming out of California. A twist of fate along a dusty road brings the floundering vintner and the struggling shop owner together and forever changes both their lives and the wine industry.

Here’s what Bill Pullman and Chris Pine had to tell us:

Head to Head on the bridge of the Enterprise with the newest Captain Kirk! We had a chance to catch up with Chris Pine at a recent junket in LA and talk to him briefly about his work on the upcoming Star Trek Movie. He was able to give us insights on the look of the movie, his portrayal of Captain Kirk and most importantly.. if he managed to score any green or purple babes. Here is what he told us;

What did you bring to Star Trek because J.J. Abrams has been marveling about the character relationship in that movie?

Chris Pine: I think what’s new about this particular version of Star Trek and what J.J. and Bob (Roberto Orci) and Alex (Kurtzman) were able to bring to it that’s new and really exciting is an incredible amount of humanity to the roles for a project that could be so…you know there’s a lot of spectacle to it, there’s explosions and graphics and computer graphics and yet it’s really character driven and you really get to see why Kirk is Kirk, why Spock is Spock, how this crew got together.