Matt Damon not Kirk in Star Trek XI

The 2007 San Diego Comic-Con will undoubtedly reveal a few key players in the upcoming revival of the Star Trek franchise (is there a drinking game played with my blog for my usage of the word revival?), but one of them will not be Matt Damon.

With the next film being a do-over tale of the early days for the crew of the starship Enterprise, the Boston boy known for his many action roles in the Bourne films has been a favorite contender for the role of Captain James T. Kirk, but it turns out that the production crew has other plans.

After hearing persistent rumors that he has been chosen to portray the young Capt. Kirk, Matt Damon decided to ring writer JJ Abrams (creator of Lost and Alias) and ask him directly.

“I know that J.J. is directing it and I talked to J.J. and said, ‘What’s the deal?’” Damon said. “He’s like, ‘No, the Kirk in my movie is much younger. It’s like the early years.’ So I think he is hiring probably like a 20-year-old actor or something, so no, it’s just an internet rumor.”

In any case, production will begin this November for a Christmas Day 2008 release.

Now that we know the actor will be a 20-something, this also rules out the other rumored actor for the part, Sam Rockwell. So what do you the readers think?

Who should play the young Captain Kirk?

Katee Sackhoff on Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica

Starbuck actress Katee Sackhoff recently announced that she will be splitting up her coming year between the newly revived Bionic Woman series and the fourth and final Battlestar Galactica season on the Sci Fi Channel.

The original series was a 1970’s spinoff from the Six Million Dollar Man starring Lindsay Wagner as Jamie Somers, the Bionic Woman. A general success, the series cemented slow-mo images of people jumping over fences, running quickly/slowly and performing feats of superhuman strength to the eerie sound of bionic motors embedded in the Bionic Woman’s body. Later revived for a special film in the 90’s, the revival comes at a critical time when science fiction, super heroes and fantasy are making a major comeback with the American viewing public.

In NBC’s new Bionic Woman series, Sackhoff will play an ‘evil’ version of the series star Michele Ryan. Jumpsuits will fly for sure. The series premiers on NBC in September.

Her role in the upcoming Battlestar Galactica series is less clear. Last year she was forced by the program’s producers to keep a secret so important that her co-stars were in the dark. It ended up hurting her relationship with the rest of the crew and potentially damaging her career. As a result, she is completely in the dark on what the deal is with Starbuck’s return this year. Is she a ghost, a Cylon, a hallucination?

“Obviously when she comes back, the first thought is she is a Cylon,” Sackhoff said. “What do they do with Cylons? They welcome them with open arms. So it’s my character that goes through a lot. She learns who really cares about her and who doesn’t, and then by Episode 8, she will have some allies that are extremely unlikely.”

Only time will tell when the series returns in 2008.

Mother of Doctor Who David Tennant dies at 67

Scottish actor David Tennant has taken a week long break from the filming of the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special in order to mourn the loss of his mother, Helen McDonald. David’s mother passed away at the age of 67 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

The role of the Doctor has always been a demanding one that leaves little time for a personal life. Former Doctor Chris Eccleston discovered this when his father took ill during the filming of the 2005 season. Eccleston fought hard to obtain time away from the production in order to visit his father and found that it was nearly impossible.

Actor Tom Baker found little time for romance during his 7 year stint as the Doctor and ended up marrying former Doctor Who companion Lalla Ward for what he called the most ecstatically blissful year of his life.

Tennant has been the focus of much adoration during his two years in what has been called the most important role in British TV. Regarded as possibly the most popular and successful Doctor in the program’s history, he is also under an unusual amount of pressure to perform. Remember that there have been many companions, guest-stars, villains and monsters, but the Doctor carries the program.

I am sure that the wishes of his devoted fans go out to him in this difficult time.

I encourage fans wishing to send a message to David that they contact his agent at the address below:

David Tennant
c/o I C M
Oxford House
76 Oxford Street
London
W1D 1BS