The newest "Star Trek" movie may put William Shatner back in the captain's chair. The script for "Star Trek 3" includes a scene for the original Kirk and Spock, played by Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, respectively, according to The Week. Sounds like Shatner is finally being offered a place in the new "Star Trek" universe, but will the irascible Shatner agree to once again boldly go where no one has gone before?
Shatner, 83, created the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the original 1960s "Star Trek" series, and went on to play the swaggering space explorer in seven films. When J.J. Abrams rebooted the film franchise with an alternate timeline plot, Nimoy reprised his iconic role opposite the new Spock, Zachary Quinto. However, Shatner was not asked to appear in the film.
According to director Abrams, it was Shatner's "no cameo" policy that took him out of the running.
"We actually had written a scene with him in it that was a flashback kind of thing, but the truth is, it didn't quite feel right," Abrams said in a 2008 interview. "The bigger thing was that he was very vocal that he didn't want to do a cameo. We tried desperately to put him in the movie, but he was making it very clear that he wanted the movie to focus on him significantly, which, frankly, he deserves."
When production on the 2009 reboot moved forward, ol' James Tiberius showed his fiery side, "I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard [Nimoy], God bless his heart, is in, but not me," Shatner told the Associated Press in 2007. "I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."
If Shatner is able to swallow his pride and accept a "Star Trek 3" cameo, it will mark the first time that the original Kirk and Spock have shared the big screen together since "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" in 1991. Star Zachary Quinto says that production on the next installment will bring principal photography in the next six months.