TrekHQ » Orci/Kurtzman

Orci Ready To Engage Trek Fans

Anthony Pascale — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:11:58 +0000

I had a chance to talk to Star Trek co-writer Roberto Orci at an evening event during Comic Con. For the most part we just chatted informally just like any two Trekkies, but I did ask him about some fans’ questions regarding how the new film will fit into Trek’s canon. Orci admitted that in the case of his (and writing partner Alex Kurtzman’s) recent film Transformers - they did make some significant changes in the universe, but that that film was translating a cartoon to a live action film. However, he also made it clear that any changes to Star Trek would be much more carefully considered. Orci (emphatically) said:

We are ready to engage any fans…lovingly…over the plot of Star Trek.

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Trek Writers Talk Sequels

Anthony Pascale — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:08:35 +0000

Star Trek writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have already declined to write a sequel to their monster hit Transformers (in theaters now), but in a new interview they seem a bit more open to it for Star Trek. When asked if the film is a ‘one off’ they had this to say…

Orci: I think maybe on this one more than even on Transformers, we were imagining possibly a bigger universe.
Kurtzman: I think that’s part of the responsibility of taking on this franchise. It’s going to continue. That’s part of the whole theme of Star Trek. There is always going to be a future.

The pair also talked about the vetting process for the script and what it was like to meet Shatner and Nimoy, saying "it was totally insane." Read the whole interview at GeekMonthly.com.

Orci: ‘Star Trek’ is two movies in one

Anthony Pascale — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:53:37 +0000

In yet another interview (this time with Latino Review) screenwriter Roberto Orci talks about how the new Trek is being made to appeal to fans of the franchise as well as those unfamiliar with it. He also draws a distinction with Tranformers which had a smaller fanbase, saying:

‘Transformers’ is gonna get us nice and ready for the fans on ‘Star Trek.’ We’ve learned a lot, actually, from that. Again we, we’re diligent about, with J.J. Abrams, and with Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, agreeing what we all wanted to see first. And then this one, on ‘Star Trek,’ for example we don’t have the advantage or the luxury of the fact no one has ever seen it. People know what ‘Star Trek’ is. We don’t have the advantage of the fact (that Transformers has) the giant robots or something.

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Kurtzman Sees Parallels Between New ‘Star Trek’ and Wrath of Khan

Anthony Pascale — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:06:58 +0000

Adam Wills of the Jewish Journal recently interviewed Star Trek 2008 writer Alex Kurtzman and has put up part an interesting Star Trek tidbit from that interview on their GeekHeeb Blog. Kurtzman says that for their new Star Trek they drew inspiration and hoped to replicate the experience the classic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

For the “Trek” script a lot of it was what “Trek” meant to us as kids. We’ve been enormous fans of “Trek” since we were little kids. And what it felt like to be in the theater and watch “Wrath of Khan” for the first time was what we wanted people to experience … [want to recapture] that kind of an emotional ride. An incredibly great bad guy against an incredibly high-stakes story that’s just emotional. “Trek” for us is about family and friendship.

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‘Star Trek’ Writers Talk Shatner, Kirk, Spock & Terrorism

Anthony Pascale — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:35:28 +0000

In a new interview with MTV, ‘Star Trek’ writers (and executive producers) Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman respond to the recent rumors that William Shatner is upset that he will not appear in the film. "We were very surprised about that" said Kurtzman. Orci followed up saying "We’re certainly hoping to include him in the shoot, because we have nothing but reverence and awe for the man." If true and if ‘in the shoot’ means ‘in front of the camera,’ then it could be inferred that the final draft of the script has a part for Shatner (although that does not mean it would be playing Kirk necessarily). With regards to the casting of the new Kirk and if he should….speak….like…..Shatner, Orci replied:

It’s tough, because so many of the people that portrayed the characters in ‘Star Trek’ were distinctive. A lot of the writing created Shakespearean-type characters, such that you could imagine it going both ways. You could imagine it being open to interpretation, or you can imagine it being really faithful. We’re trying to figure out how to do it.

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Kurtzman Talks About His Respect For Trek’s Past - ‘Star Trek’ Not a BSG-style Reboot

Anthony Pascale — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:39:24 +0000

In the last week we have heard a lot from Star Trek co-writer Roberto Orci, but now in a new audio interview at Voices From Krypton we hear from Orci’s other half Alex Kurtzman. Kurtzman noted that over the years many writers have contributed to the character of Trek but that the show was "very much Roddenberry’s and it always has maintained a optimistic and hopeful universe about exploration and ultimately also about friendship and family." He spoke about how much he and Roberto have been influenced by the many people involved in Trek’s past…

It is an honor to be part of it now and to inherit that mantle, but I feel like we couldn’t have really been doing that without the instruction that everyone else has given us and the road map that has been laid out for us.

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Orci & Kurtzman: Balancing geekery and nongeekery

Anthony Pascale — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:27:15 +0000

Yes…even more on Orci and Kurtzman. Today the pair of Star Trek (2008) writers are profiled in the New York Times in an article titled ‘Character-Driven Films (but Keep the Kaboom).’ The piece covers their biography and discusses how they are just a couple of fanboys who made it big (interesting fact…Orci had a phone shaped like the USS Enterprise). Orci talks about what it is like balancing fandom with business:

You can never be just a fanboy in the eyes of other fanboys, because you’re also, in a way, the establishment. You’re like, ‘No, but I’m you.’ But you’re accountable for all your decisions, and inevitably you can’t please everybody.

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Writers Talk About Process for ‘Star Trek’ Screenplay

Anthony Pascale — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 21:00:22 +0000

At a writer’s workshop in Santa Monica on Thursday, Star Trek co-writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman talked about the craft of writing. Most of the discussion and Q&A topics were very ‘inside Hollywood’ discussions about making pitches, drawing characters, doing research, etc. However the subject of Trek came up every once in a while while describing how things work for them. For example they said while making the Star Trek script there came a point when they were falling behind and the studio was saying ‘we need the script - we need the script’…so Kurtzman says "we locked ourselves away for a good two months actually and didn’t take calls and finished it. And they got the script and it was greenlit the next day…which was most satisfying."

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Orci & Kurtzman Working On New TV Pilot w/ Abrams + ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Movie + New Info on Abrams ‘Cloverfield’

Anthony Pascale — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 07:00:16 +0000

At a writers workshop held in Santa Monica on Thursday, Star Trek co-writer Alex Kurtzman said that he and writing partner Roberto Orci are writing on a new TV pilot with JJ Abrams. The three worked together in TV before on the show Alias and it would be the writers first time back on TV since that show ended. Abrams has a multi-million dollar TV production deal with Warner Brothers, but so far has only announced one show for HBO (a medical drama). After the event Roberto Orci told TrekMovie that it was not a Star Trek show and that they still don’t know if the show is for network TV, HBO or cable. He did say it will probably have some sci-fi/genre elements (kind of like Lost and Alias have some genre elements but are not ’spaceship scifi’), but they are still working out the details. If the show follows the usual pilot season schedule then it wouldn’t really kick into production until Spring of 2008, which would be after Star Trek enters its post production phase.

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Orci: New ‘Star Trek’ Film To Bring In New Generation - May Lead to New Trek on TV

Anthony Pascale — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:57:07 +0000

Yet even more on Star Trek from Mr. Orci’s press tour for Transformers. In the second part of the IESB interview with Orci there is one Trek question related to the future of the franchise and if it will ‘re-establish’ the universe. Orci replied:

Absolutely, it’s gotta bring in a whole new generation, it’s gotta bring in people who don’t know Trek so it absolutely trying to re-establish what this universe should be…

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