ROTTEN TOMATOES: Hey, It's a Star Trek Cameo Rumor!

Hey, It's a Star Trek Cameo Rumor!

Cruise-ing boldly where no man has gone before?

by Jeff Giles | August 07, 2007

The casting rumors about J.J. Abrams' Star Trek XI have been whirling for months, and lately, we've seen them begin to be proven true (Zachary Quinto as Spock) and false (Matt Damon as Kirk). So what's a rumor mill to do? Generate more rumors, of course.

IGN Movies is reporting that Abrams is after an A-list actor for the high-profile cameo role of Captain Pike, the officer who preceded Kirk on the bridge of the starship Enterprise. As hardcore fans of the show could no doubt tell us all in exhaustive detail, Pike served with Spock for about ten years, and in the show's original pilot (later aired as the two-part "The Menagerie"), Spock helped shepherd a wounded Pike to the forbidden planet Talos IV, and was court-martialed for his trouble.

Since Abrams has gone on record as saying the new Trek film's storyline will have a lot to do with Spock, Pike's appearance is significant. And who does Abrams supposedly want for the role? His friend and Mission: Impossible III star, Tom Cruise. As the IGN article notes, Star Trek is a Paramount production, which would seem to make Cruise's participation unlikely, but not, um, impossible:

Cruise's name first surfaced last fall as a possibility for a role in Trek,but Cruise spokesman Arnold Robinson advised TrekMovie.com at the time,"That story is not true." There was still bad blood between Cruise and Trekstudio Paramount at that time, but in recent months Sumner Redstone,the Viacom honcho who ousted Cruise, has softened his rhetoric, leaving the door open for reconciliation. A Cruise cameo in Trek, however, would be a favor to Abrams and not to Paramount.

Got all that? Good, because IGN hints at more Trek casting rumors around the corner, saying "And if you think this Cruise stuff is crazy then you don't even want to know which A-lister we were told Paramount is trying to land to play the villain!"

Source: IGN Movies

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(1-16 of 16 posts) | Reply

MPSolo writes:
on Aug 07 2007 04:04 AM

No.

Cruise has way too much starpower for him to slip into a cameo role for Star Trek. Even if he were to pull it off, he'd still be Tom Cruise, not Captain Pike.

(Reply to this)

HeisLegend1231 writes:
on Aug 07 2007 06:35 AM

I think it could work as long as they don't over advertise his name being attached to the project. Then they would have people coming just to see Tom Cruise and being disappointed when he only has a cameo role.

He actually has a slight resemblance to Christopher Pike, except for the noses.

(Reply to this)

HeisLegend1231 writes:
on Aug 07 2007 06:46 AM

But I think a better choice for an A-List cameo for Christopher Pike would be the much talked about...Matt Damon. Maybe Abrams had him in mind for this role the whole time and the rumors about him being Kirk were just misinterpreted

(Reply to this)

SuperJerkmo writes:
on Aug 07 2007 07:30 AM

Tom Cruise in an outer space movie is just asking for those overused yet still hilarious jokes to resurface.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Aug 07 2007 07:35 AM

How about this joke:

That's not a tricorder, it's an E-meter!

Bad idea, this cameo.

(Reply to this)

dracus writes:
on Aug 07 2007 08:51 AM

I don't think that Cruise playing Pike is bad idea. I have a feeling that with his upcoming movies, he's desperately trying to change his image. If he can keep his Scientology in his pants, throw away the psychiatry diploma that he found at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box and stay as far away from Oprah as possible, this image change just may work.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Aug 07 2007 10:46 AM

I have another one:

Since when do they cast real aliens on Star Trek?

(Reply to this)

sharpless writes:
on Aug 07 2007 10:51 AM

You know, I never thought I'd say this, but Cruise might be good for the role. He might look a little older than Jeff Hunter did in the pilot episode, but he's the same general type, visually. I don't think I'd mind this too much.

As a side note, is this the first we've heard that Spock will be the central figure of the film? At least it seems like he will be. This fits in with the older Star Trek movies. They all were really Spock-heavy.

(Reply to this)

Novastar. writes:
on Aug 07 2007 03:58 PM

I read today( in some magazine) that singer Robbie Williams will play Kirk,I imagined him in a star Trek uniform,and i couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes.I imagined him saying the following line to one of his crew 'come on baby relight my fire'.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Aug 07 2007 04:07 PM

How ironic would it be if Tom Cruise played the ship's psychiatrist?

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TheAnswerMVP2001 writes:
on Aug 07 2007 06:00 PM

TOM CRUISE!!???!!! I think Abrams is attempting to beat Trek while it's down now. As a big and long time Trek fan I'm really not very happy about anything I have heard with this film.

(Reply to this)

High School With Money writes:
on Aug 08 2007 08:57 AM

Y'know, for a franchise in need of a reboot, Abrams is sure dipping into the nostalgia well a bit much, character-wise. Are Sarek and Mudd gonna make cameos, too?

[i]"And if you think this Cruise stuff is crazy then you don't even want to know which A-lister we were told Paramount is trying to land to play the villain!"[/i]

Kirstie "FETTUCINI!!!" Alley? Michael Jackson? What, not "crazy" enough?

(Reply to this)

Huntressmoon13 writes:
on Aug 09 2007 10:08 AM

Aside from charges of rape or murder, I try very hard to separate an actor/actress's professional work from their personal life, no matter how wacked out it gets. Ex: Brando, Taylor, O'Toole, and even Lohan (although the latter's recent work is, sadly, poor quality). I'd be willing to give a Cruise cameo a go if the rumors turn out to be true.

As for the Beyonce as Uhura wish- more acting lessons are in order, but remember when Nichelle Nichols as Uhura would belt out tunes in TOS? Hell yeah to Beyonce if just for a chance for a spacy ballad. Just as long as Spock is jamming on his lyre :)

(Reply to this)

Assasin_UK writes:
on Aug 10 2007 03:10 AM

Im surprised nobody has mentioned Tom Hanks for a cameo...

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msspurlock writes:
on Aug 13 2007 10:56 PM

How unimaginative.

Stunt casting, even when it's just leaked trial balloons, is a sure sign the movie has no substance and they're obviously nervous about it.

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aceofpyro writes:
on Sep 08 2007 08:14 PM

Tom Cruise too big for a cameo are you stupid, remember The movie Austin powers, ya its important to think before you type

(Reply to this)

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