Unlike Charles Ferguson’s Oscar-winning documentary Inside Job that made your blood boil at the sheer gall of the games played financial institutions and leading persons involved, ex-Merrill Lynch employee and writer-director J.C. Chandor’s new thriller serves a token of sweet torment on the money-grabbing scoundrels that kicked off the financial crisis.

It’s 2008, and after sweeping redundancies are announced at an investment bank on Wall Street, outgoing risk management boss Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci) hands a USB drive with an unfinished project on it to junior risk analyst Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto), saying “be careful”. After finishing the project that same night, Sullivan horrifyingly discovers that trading will soon exceed the historical volatility levels used by the firm to calculate risk, and if mortgage-backed securities decrease by 25 per cent, the firm will suffer a loss greater than its market capitalisation. The plan of action that brings in senior management in the early hours (played by Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons and Simon Baker) and puts heads on the line is an ugly one that will destroy the firm’s relationships with its clients and counterparties, who will never trust them again.

You don’t have to talk financial speak to understand the environment you are entering into, but it can only help. That said Margin Call is still a gripping, sophisticated, adrenaline-fuelled attempt at humanising today’s folk devil, the banker, the world of which Chandor simplifies to expose the motivation, greed and gambling to the fore. It’s a quick-talking, snappy-decision-making drama, without any special thrills, the majority of which is shot in a cool and clinical corporate environment that still has a dangerous allure.

The film’s primary strength, apart from being well written, is all down to the honed performances enacting the risky, sleazy game playing that both riles and fascinates. Spacey and Bettany dominant centre stage in most of their scenes, and are simply at their glorious best. Spacey who plays Sam Rogers, Head of Sales, is the closest this drama gets to a character with a warm pulse, as we get snippets of empathy, bordering on wavering remorse. Bettany seems to dip into the psychopathic mindset of his former baddie characters, like The Da Vinci Code’s Silas, only cloaked in an approachable, carefree but money-centric, devilish rogue disguise as senior fixed income salesman Will Emerson. As their sales roles suggest, it’s their performances that ultimately sell the film, and help expose the toxicity of its senior players, like CEO John Tuld, played brilliantly and callously by Jeremy Irons, as he buries the littler man while casually eating breakfast in his glass high tower.

The beauty of Chandor’s stylish film is it makes no excuses for the damage caused, and offers no answers; it merely dangles its players on hooks and allows us to watch them squirm and (some) wriggle free. In turn, this heightens our reproach for them but also holds them in ‘another worldly’ awe at their precarious choice of money-orientated lifestyle. It’s a curious watch because it’s aloof and standoff-ish nature, though simultaneously provides a few ironic scoffs and intimate reveals when the barriers begin to crumble.

Ultimately, nobody is a winner and all are tainted by association: In this sense, it’s an acutely satisfying watch for the rest of us, expertly crafted by a debut feature film writer-director demonstrating and using a sound knowledge of 30 years of banking experience.

****~ (4/5)

Earlier in the week, the stars of new movie, Margin Call were in London for the UK Premiere. The film stars Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci. Bettany and Irons were both present for the premiere and interviews with them are below.

Our friends from Upbeat were there to interview the stars and filmmakers as they walked the res carpet in a rather low-key affair.

When entry-level analyst Peter Sullivan (Quinto) unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster.

Margin Call is released this Friday January 13, 2012.

Star Trek 2 is gearing up for principal shooting to kick off in the new year, which is welcome news. The reboot of the franchise was desperately needed and JJ Abrams’ first instalment was a sensational shot in the arm for a series that had become bogged down since the high water mark of First Contact.

What is not especially welcome news is that Abrams is looking at shooting the sequel on film and then post-converting it into 3D. Obviously the “shooting on film” bit is not of concern, it is the dreaded “post-conversion” which is troubling, given the poor application of the technique up until now.

JJ Abrams is no mug and has certainly proved himself a steady and dependable pair of hands so far, but this does very much feel like a step in the wrong direction. At a time when (at least here in the UK), 3D ticket sales are on the wane, it seems unnecessary to gear up for a post-conversion.

 Having said that, it might yet prove to be an astute move. Prior success or not, Abrams is as susceptible as anyone to studio pressure and may have therefore negotiated a deal to post-convert, hoping that either 3D will have fallen out of favour by then and he won’t need to, or that the technology will have improved, leaving the results more impressive. Either way, that is a massive leap of speculation on my part and in no way grounded in any sort of information or insight.

JJ Abrams also wants to shoot some of the film in IMAX format, which he is thoroughly enthusiastic about, though he remains predictably tight-lipped about story arcs, characters, villains and the like, all of which will no doubt unfold in due course.

MTV have this story, together with a few more quotes from Abrams regarding his aspirations for the sequel.

Stealth Media have released the official U.K. poster for Margin Call.

Written and directed by J.C. Chandor, Margin Call stars Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons, Penn Badgley, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell and Aasif Mandvi.

When entry-level analyst Peter Sullivan (Quinto) unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster.

Margin Call, which scored positive reviews following screenings at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and the 61st Berlin International Film Festival, will be released in the U.K. on January 13, 2012.

Check out the U.K. poster embedded below:

Source: Facebook

Just yesterday, we got the news that Peter Weller, the original RoboCop, had joined the new additions to the cast of JJ Abrams’ upcoming Star Trek sequel, along with Alice Eve and Benicio del Toro. (You can catch up on all our Star Trek-related coverage right here.)

Del Toro was the first of the new additions to be announced last month, and over the past few days there’s been some speculation as to what villain he’d be playing, with Khan surfacing as a possibility. Abrams was thought to have denied that del Toro would be playing Khan, but Vulture, via The Playlist, are now reporting that his wording was a slight technicality, in that del Toro is now exiting the project, and that the film’s villain is indeed set to be that of Khan.

I must confess that I’ve never seen any of the Star Trek films, including Abrams’ first film in 2009, but I’m a big fan of del Toro’s work, and thought that he was a brilliant addition to the original cast, which is headed up by Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Anton Yelchin.

Unfortunately, it looks as though that’s no longer the case, with the report citing issues over wages being the breaking point for negotiations, which is a real shame. The show, of course, must go on, and so the search will no doubt be on to re-cast the villain’s role in del Toro’s place. With production scheduled to start next month, for a release date currently set at 17^th March, 2013, it’s not unreasonable to expect an announcement coming soon, hopefully in time for Christmas.

Following on from the recent casting additions we’ve been getting in the past few weeks, with the brilliant Benicio del Toro and Alice Eve joining the cast, JJ Abrams’ highly anticipated Star Trek sequel has another new cast member, Deadline report, in the form of Peter Weller.

Weller is best known for his role as the original RoboCop back in 1987, and has more recently been seen in TV’s Dexter, Fringe, and half a season of 24 back on Day 5 as Christopher Henderson.

Much of the original cast, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Anton Yelchin, are expected to reprise their roles for the sequel, with del Toro heading up the new additions in the form of the as-yet-unannounced villain.

Naturally, plot details are being kept under wraps, including what Weller’s role will be, but with a script coming from frequent collaborators Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, whose credits include the original 2009 film, Transformers, and TV’s Alias and Fringe, and with their Cowboys & Aliens co-writer Damon Lindelof joining them this time around, I think it’s a safe bet that fans will be happy with whatever they’ve got in store for us.

Though I’ve not seen him in much, I thought Weller was brilliant in season five of 24, and he’s clearly still on top of his game in joining the cast for the sequel. Filming is scheduled to begin next month, and is currently set to be released in 3D on 17^th May, 2013.

Alice Eve (Big Nothing) has been cast in J.J. Abrams’ as-yet-untitled Star Trek sequel.

The actress, best known for her role in She’s Out of My League, beat out Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) and Teresa Palmer (I am Number Four) for the unspecified role.

Most of the original cast, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Anton Yelchin, are expected to return for the sequel, with Benicio Del Toro on board as the villain.

Plot details, on the other hand, are being held closely under wraps, but expect more details to trickle out as the film edges closer and closer to its imminent production start date.

The film will be released on May 17, 2013.

Source: Variety

We got an absolutely fantastic first trailer for the upcoming financial crisis thriller, Margin Call, back in the summer, and it gave us a terrific first look at the film, which really raised expectations for it.

This was then followed up last month with what has to be one of my favourite posters of the year. It beautifully divides up the film’s major players into their moral right and wrong stances, taking a clear cut against Jeremy Irons’ corporate cut-throat strategies to stay alive in times of crisis.

A great new clip from the film has now emerged over at Yahoo Movies, showing us an extended look at part of the first trailer, in which Kevin Spacey stands off against Jeremy Irons. Spacey tries to make Irons see that what he’s doing is wrong, only to find himself facing the survival-of-the-fittest dogma propounded by Irons character.

Along with Spacey and Irons, Margin Call features a terrific cast that includes Paul Bettany, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Demi Moore, Mary McDonnell, and Stanley Tucci. J.C. Chandor is making his writing and directorial feature debut with this – and what a cast for his debut! – and judging from what we’ve seen so far, it should be an immensely fine debut at that.

The US will be getting this on 21st October, and Stealth Media Group will be releasing the movie here in the UK January 2012.

Without further ado, here’s the great new clip, entitled This Is It. Enjoy.

Don’t deny it, we can all relate to those raunchy magazine columns about weight, exercise and even romance. We make promises to ourselves to eat differently, exercise more, and look out for that “special someone,” but how many of us really stick to our plan?  Ally Darling, played by Anna Farris in “What’s Your Number?” goes above and beyond to stick to her guns.  After being denied a date to her sister’s wedding by her current “boyfriend” and being let go by her perverted boss, her day couldn’t seem to get any worse.  With her box of office paraphernalia on her lap, she mindlessly flips through a magazine coming across a mind-boggling fact. “In America, 96% of woman who have been with 20 or more lovers can’t find a husband.”  Shocked by this realization, she immediately starts to tally all those relationships and one-night stands, or “moments of weakness.” (As I’m sure you are doing right this moment!)  After tallying her number, she comes to realize she has maxed out at 19! The next one “who vacations at Casa Esperanza” as she puts it, has to be THE ONE! A night of partying and fun with her sister’s wedding party pushes her over the top, or more like into bed, with Mr. 20 himself.  With her number at 20, Ally finds a way to hold onto her chance at marriage by convincing herself that Mr. Right must have slipped through her fingers.   All she has to do is revisit her past lovers and find the new and improved version of her rejects.

Ally tries her hand at detective work researching via the World Wide Web and comes up empty handed with over 8 million Google hits on one name alone.  Her new ploy seems to be failing until her worry free next door neighbor, Colin, played by Chris Evans, comes stumbling across the hall looking for a little help himself.  It seems like everyday she finds him out in the hall, naked and poorly concealed, (Which is just fine for all the ladies out there!) painfully waiting for his woman friends to leave every morning.  According to Ally this “Playboy” she has living next door is all that is wrong in the world.  With her options dwindling, Ally makes a deal with Colin exchanging full use of her apartment as a hideout after he leaves his dates in the morning, for his extensive help hunting down all of her Exes.

Throughout Colin’s research, he uncovers a past that Ally would have much rather forgotten including a rather slender version of her obese ex, now engaged, a bartending magician who still has a knack for finding coins behind women’s ears, and a gynecologist who can’t recognize faces as well as he can recognize other parts of the body.  In the beginning of their research, Colin sees Ally as nothing but a challenge that refuses to sleep with him, while she is only using him for information.  As the search for the exes becomes more intensive, Ally and Colin end up spending more and more time with one another, unexpectedly learning more about each other in the process.  Their unanticipated friendship is solidified when Colin agrees to going to Ally’s sister’s wedding with her.  Colin’s revolving door lifestyle continues across the hall as Ally continues to go on one unsuccessful date after another. Enjoying his carefree lifestyle, Colin can’t seem to keep Ally off his mind, while Ally can’t seem to enjoy herself because of the same problem.  After spending day after day together their unlikely friendship begins to evolve. Fate takes a turn when Ally decides that maybe numbers don’t matter after all and life is meant to be lived, not restricted.  Taking control of her life, Ally allows herself to explore her feelings for Colin and be happy once again.  Just like in most relationships, Ally and Colin encounter their ups and downs.  Without giving away too much of the story… there are lies told, hair set on fire, bad timing and some awful singing!

Overall, “What’s Your Number?” is a “boy meets girl, girl hates boy, then girl likes boy (surprise, surprise), girl and boy fall in love” kinda story with a little twist involving the past.  Although the past often does haunt love stories, it is usually the past inserting itself in the story, not the main character tracking the past down.  Gabrielle Allan and Jennifer Crittenden, the screenwriters of “What’s Your Number?” continually have us guessing what ungodly situation Ally will face next.  Their contemporary style allows the audience to experience the story from both of the main characters’ point of view. As a spectator, you want Ally to find true love, but hate Colin at the same time for solidifying her lack of faith in men.  Meanwhile, you understand Colin’s love for uncomplicated relationships that start and end within the same 24 hours.  It’s practically like you are feeling the stress of a real relationship in your movie seat!  Thanks to Kathleen Chopin’s brilliant casting, you can live out the complications of a relationship picturing yourself as the gorgeous and down to earth Anna Farris or the hunky, boy next door, Chris Evans.  And with appearances of vegan Zachary Quinto, perverted Joel McHale, disgusting Chris Pratt, proper Martin Freeman, recently out and proud Anthony Mackie, and handsome Dave Annable, you can’t help but look back into your own past and question some of the previous romances you have had!

“What’s Your Number?” is a movie you don’t want to miss if you have ever had the thought…What if?  Mark Mylod, director, catches the insecurity we all face in relationships and are sometimes afraid to admit while playing it over and over in front of our eyes with some help from the brilliant acting onscreen.  If there was ever a role Anna Farris was born to play, it was this one.  She turns every girl’s nightmare of never finding “the one” into pure comedy with a genuine passion and sincere performance onscreen.  Although most of you guys out there will cringe at seeing Chris Evans completely naked with only a bath towel covering the necessary body parts, keeping this movie at an R rating…suck it up!  The girls love it!  Besides the Captain America body, Chris Evans brings it all to the table playing the bad boy who, with the help of Ally, discovers the soft side inside him that wants a woman by his side.  With an upbeat tempo, great sexual chemistry, a contemporary and relatable story, “What’s Your Number?” is a perfect mix of comedy and heart.

***½~ (3.5/5)

Review by Amanda Weber

We got an outstanding first trailer for the upcoming Wall Street-set thriller, Margin Call, back at the end of July, and it gave us a fantastic taste for the brilliance we should be able to expect from it.

We’ve now got a terrific new poster for the film, courtesy of IMP Awards, which really cleverly divides the cast up according to which side of the morality line they stand upon within the film, with Jeremy Irons fully on the left, his face half cast in shadow, and Kevin Spacey uncertainly hovering in the middle. And in contrast, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, and Zachary Quinto are all stood firmly on the right (figuratively and literally), their faces all beautifully lit up.

This is the kind of poster I love. It’s really cleverly thought out, ensuring it’s far more subtle about its message than the vast majority of posters. It’s far and away one of my favourite posters of the year so far; simple, yet very effective. The film marks the feature debut of its writer-director, J.C. Chandor, and it’s set to be an awesome debut at that, with an absolutely stellar cast in all the major roles.

Margin Call, which also stars Simon Baker, Penn Badgley, and Mary McDonnell, is a thriller set over a 24-hour period at the very first stages of the recent financial crisis, looking at the top people in a Wall Street investment bank and how they react to it.

With the US set to see its release on 21st October this year the film does have a UK distributor who have confirmed to us that the film will receive a theatrical release over here but there’s no current release date, it truly looks like it will be well worth the wait. Without further ado, here’s the great new poster, followed by the trailer embedded beneath in case you missed it in the summer. As usual with the poster, click to enlarge.

To celebrate the hotly anticipated release of What’s Your Number? starring Chris Evans and Anna Faris, in cinemas September 30^th, five lucky winners will win a goodie bag, a signed poster and  and a copyof What’s Your Number? by Karyn Bosnak –  the novel on which the film is based – published by Transworld and available now”

Anna Faris plays “Ally” in this edgy romantic comedy about a woman who reads a magazine article claiming that “women who have had 20 or more partners in their lifetime have a good chance of staying single for life.”  After counting the men in her own life, Ally begins to lose hope of every getting married. Vowing not to exceed her current number, she enlists the help of her handsome neighbour (Chris Evans) and becomes obsessed with tracking down her old boyfriends to see if she may have missed “the one.”

What’s Your Number? is released in UK cinemas SEPTEMBER 30^TH

For more information on What’s Your Number?  visit:  http://www.facebook.com/WhatsYourNumberUK

For your chance of winning this amazing prize, answer this simple question using the form below:

Name the actress who plays Ally in What’s Your Number?

1. Anna Faris
2. Anne Hathaway
3. Julia Roberts

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 10th October at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

© 2011 Twentieth Century Fox

This past weekend I was able to attend the world premiere red carpet event for the new romantic comedy “What’s Your Number?” The film stars Chris Evans and Anna Faris. Monday night I was able to interview a few members of the cast including Heather Burns, Kate Simses, Farris and the screenwriters Gabrielle Allan and Jennifer Crittenden.  We will be posting a more in-depth conversation next week with Evans and Farris from our roundtable conversation, so be on the look out for those.  Until then, enjoy a look from the red carpet of “What’s Your Number?” opening in the US and UK September 30th, 2011.

After months of speculation, JJ Abrams has finally gone ahead and confirmed what we were all expecting anyway: he’s going to direct Star Trek XII. Or II. Whatever it’s going to be called, he’s directing it.

Despite the phenomenal success of 2009’s critically acclaimed reboot the Star Trek sequel has faced a number of delays, not least of which was the fact that Abrams was himself committed to directing this summer’s Super 8 as well as producing the forthcoming Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol. On top of that, co-writer Alex Kurtzman has been working on his own directorial debut, Welcome to People, meaning that Star Trek’s so-called ‘supreme court’ has been stretched pretty thin of late – so much so, in fact, that Paramount had previously confirmed that the film would not meet its already announced release date of June 29th 2012, a spot that has now been taken by G.I Joe 2: Retaliation.

Still, the stars are finally aligning for the new crew of the Starship Enterprise; work on the long in development script will reportedly be complete by the end of this month with shooting beginning sometime during the winter (most signs suggest a January stardate – I mean start date; sorry). The studio has already exercised its options on the cast, meaning that Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Anton Yelchin will all be returning to the roles they first played in the 2009 film.

Look for the Star Trek sequel to warp into cinemas anywhere from Christmas 2012 to summer 2013.

I confess that Margin Call isn’t a film I’d heard of before today, but Yahoo Movies have released the first trailer for it and it looks excellent, instantly becoming one of my most anticipated movies for the end of this year.

The film is a thriller set over a 24-hour period at the very first stages of the recent financial crisis, looking at the top people in a Wall Street investment bank and how they react to it.

That premise in itself sounds pretty interesting, and the trailer is full of promise. Margin Call is writer and director J.C. Chandor’s feature debut, one with a stellar cast.

Margin Call stars Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci, with Quinto also producing the film. And with it being set in an investment bank, the entire cast is looking pretty smart in the trailer, suited and booted, which is always a good look.

Irons and Baker look set to play the top executives, keeping the company’s best interests at heart, with Spacey, Quinto, and likely Bettany, trying to be the voices of conscience. In the run-up to this generation’s biggest global financial crisis, Margin Call really does look like it has an intriguing story to tell.

The film is set to be released in the States on 21st October, and whilst there’s no release date scheduled over here, I really hope that we’ll get to see it in theatres by the end of the year too. This trailer has made an instant convert out of me, and Margin Call could well rank high up on my list of favourite directorial debuts if it lives up to this brilliant first trailer. Without further ado, here it is.

Chris Evans may be gearing up to become a mega star after Captain America: The First Avenger comes out next week but hot on its heels is his other movie, What’s Your Number? which hits UK and US cinemas 30th September.

What’s Your Number also stars Anna Faris, Zachary Quinto, Andy Samberg, Ari Graynor, Martin Freeman and is directed by  Mark Mylod. Have a watch of the trailer below and see if you can guess the ending!

Anna Faris plays “Ally” in this edgy romantic comedy about a woman who reads a magazine article claiming that “women who have had 20 or more partners in their lifetime have a good chance of staying single for life.”  After counting the men in her own life, Ally begins to lose hope of every getting married. Vowing not to exceed her current number, she enlists the help of her handsome neighbour (Chris Evans) and becomes obsessed with tracking down her old boyfriends to see if she may have missed “the one.”

Collider has procured an official synopsis from the American Film Market for Margin Call – a thriller set in the world of finance.

It’s the debut of writer/director J.C. Chandor and he’s managed to corral a fantastic line up of actors for the project, including the likes of Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Mary McDonnell, Simon Baker and twentysomething Spock, Zachary Quinto. They will play the roles of key people at an investment bank during a 24-hour period of financial crisis back in 2008.

Here’s the full synopsis.

Based upon the real events leading up to the collapse of the worldwide financial markets in the fall of 2008, Margin Call is the story of a fictional Wall Street investment banking house and the 24 desperate hours leading up to the first significant day of the global financial meltdown.

The firm is making millions selling dangerously high-risk investment packages to their clients, ignoring increasingly frequent warning signs of instability. Late one night, two young brokers discover that the risk levels have broken through the safety barriers, and that the company’s entire portfolio of assets are teetering on disaster. With all of Wall Street poised to sell the same toxic investments, they realize to their horror that the entire market is about to free fall.

Calling an immediate middle-of-the-night conference with senior management, the firm’s executives wrestle with two basic options. They can watch the 107-year-old go under with the rest of Wall Street. Or they can take advantage of being the first to sell their soon to be dangerous securities. Their clients will be ruined, but they might survive.

As the night progresses toward their pivotal morning decision, they face a moral dilemma unlike any they have confronted before. The repercussions of the path they choose will go far beyond their own careers. One single choice on their part could have an unprecedented domino effect on Wall Street, the global financial markets, and on Main Streets around the world.

The film is due for release in US cinemas on April 15th 2011, but there no word as yet when the film will reach our shores. As always, we’ll yet you know when we hear anything.

So, the news doing the rounds today includes this little gem – Zachary Quinto, known around the globe as the second incarnation of Spock, is to play George Gershwin, the famed Broadway composer and pianist in a biopic project for Dreamworks.

Potentially bigger news is orbiting this story as the director’s chair is currently vacant, with Steven Spielberg rumoured to eyeing this as his next project. It makes sense, as the needless Harvey remake hitting the skids and the long rumoured Lincoln project still in the stalls, a biopic of an American legend may just be the next turn in the road for the acclaimed director.

The news broke over on Deadline Hollywood, who claim that this is one of three projects Spielberg is looking to take on. Doug Wright wrote the script, and Marc Platt is on production duties with singer/pianist Michael Feinstein.

With Quinto on board, complete with dialogue and accent coaches signed up, the story of Gershwin is sure to centre on the composer’s extraordinary creative collaboration with his brother Ira, and his tragic early death at the age of 38.

And by Spock I mean Leonard Nimoy, not Zachary Quinto – there’s no chance J. J. Abrams would leave out the logical half of the dynamic duo, but word comes from MovieWeb that Nimoy may not be in the expected sequel.

He told MovieWeb:

If J.J. asked me to come back, I would consider it. But I don’t think it is necessary, nor do I think that is part of J.J.’s plan.

It’s a gracious touch from such an iconic character, particularly as it was his presence in Abram’s fast paced blockbuster that gave it the necessary sense of legacy and gravitas. While it is a shame to think of Star Trek without Nimoy the new cast need to forge a path for themselves, so it makes sense.

Also when chatting with Bruce Greenwood MovieWeb asked him about Captain Pike’s role in the second film:

“I know they’re writing the film right now, but I’m not sure if we’ll see Pike or not,”

Clearly Abrams has big plans for the future of Star Trek, and after watching the exhilarating first film on Blu-ray yesterday the cast Abrams has assembled to portray the original roles look hungry to establish themselves as the definitive Enterprise crew.