Lindelof On 'Star Trek XI' Date Change And Its Effects

[TrekToday]

Moving Star Trek XI from December 2008 to May 2009 will have positive benefits, says Star Trek XI producer Damon Lindelof.

As reported by Trekmovie.com, according to Lindelof, based on Paramount's growing understanding of the movie, Star Trek XI was more appropriate for a summer release.

"It was being presented to J.J. [Abrams]," said Lindelof, "and I have been hearing the same thing from the studio, that based on the dailies they have been seeing and hanging out on the set and seeing and beginning to understand what the movie is, I think that they are starting to look at it as a big summer crowd-pleaser as opposed to a very sci-fi, not-as-accessible-to a-wider-audience Christmas release. So the reason that they have moved the release date is for their ability to market the film and sort of position it as the Pirates of the Caribbean for next summer."

There are other benefits to the later release. "On a budgetary level probably the most significant effect it will have is that we will not have to rush our post [production]," explained Lindelof. "As you might imagine there are a gazillion effects shots. I have seen some of the early work being done by ILM and [visual effects supervisor] Roger Guyett and it is nothing short of astonishing. So they’ll basically have more time to render those effects than they would have if we had to release it by Christmas. So that will probably make the movie a little less expensive to produce."

Lindelof also talked about how the move would affect the release of a full movie trailer. "Obviously the schedule is now going to change to accommodate the new release date," he said. "My guess is that the strategy will turn more into a slow burn. But at this point we also have to be cognizant of once the film is done, and the more we shoot the more likely it is to invite spoilers if we are holding everything back. So we still want to release those images. As far as for the first trailer trailer, I heard we were still on for the summer to have a full trailer for the movie. But I would not be surprised if they decide to hold that back."

Those working on Star Trek XI wanted to make the movie appealing both to long-term fans and yet attract a new audience. "When we all sat down and started to talk about whether or not we wanted to take on Trek, the question was very simple and that question has remained the same: do we think we can make it good?" said Lindelof. "And there is a way to make that movie where the fans will feel that literally four decades of storytelling and canon is not being ignored, but you make the movie so there is an access point for people who want to come in and hear the band for the first time, as it were. We talked about that and kicked some story ideas around and became totally infected with it."

While Lindelof feels that Star Trek XI will be a good movie and that the change of release date is a positive thing, he couldn't predict whether the attempts to reach a broader audience as well as current fans would succeed. "...Until people start seeing what we are doing, I have no real gauge on whether or not this movie is going to break through to a wider audience. But obviously Paramount thinks so and that is very reassuring for us. Our job remains the same. We are not pandering to make this accessible to people who have never seen Trek, nor are we pandering to the fans. We are just trying to make the best movie we can.

To read the article, head to the link located here.

[Starbreaker]

Damon Lindelof is THE man. I believe every word.

[Procutus]

FINALLY, someone who is in a position to, confirms that the extra time will actually be put to good use in terms of post-production, and that the Suits still weren't pushing for the film to be 'in the can' by its' original schedule.

Okay, I can live with this. I'll settle for May of next year as long as they allow the FX team time to make it as visually staggering as possible, and if they let J.J. reshoot any scenes he feels that he can improve.

I was surprised to find that they're still thinking of releasing a full trailer in the summer given the change, but hey, I won't complain. I wonder if we'll get a second trailer then sometime next winter, or if they'll do only the one and that will be that?

[Sharr Khan]

Starbreaker wrote:

---

Damon Lindelof is THE man. I believe every word.

I've been saying that this move was a good thing, a sign they believe in the product. Glad its been affirmed here.

Sharr

[Canadave]

TrekToday wrote:

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"So the reason that they have moved the release date is for their ability to market the film and sort of position it as the Pirates of the Caribbean for next summer."

I think, based on this comment, that we can officially confirm that Chris Pine will have messy dreadlocks and say "Savvy?" at the end of every other sentence.

You heard it here first.

[Dennis]

If it approaches being the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" of the summer that will be an extraordinary achievement for anything associated with Trek. They may be overreaching a bit, there.

[T'Bonz]

Just a bit.

But I'd be delighted if it was that successful.

[Zion Ravescene]

Well, to be fair to Lindelof and co, he's got this other iron in the fire to worry about too. "LOST", I think it's called...

[Tralah]

Canadave wrote:

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I think, based on this comment, that we can officially confirm that Chris Pine will have messy dreadlocks and say "Savvy?" at the end of every other sentence.

You heard it here first.

Sweet! They should have gotten Orlando bloom to play Spock then if that's the angle the were going for. We already know he looks great with pointy ears. Dye his hair and Vulcanize his haircut and there we have it! Oh man someone needs to photoshop that with Chris Pine in dreadlocks.

[Procutus]

^

That whole idea just scares me!

[StarMan]

Starship Polaris wrote:

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If it approaches being the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" of the summer that will be an extraordinary achievement for anything associated with Trek. They may be overreaching a bit, there.

And here I was hoping for something of Titanic proportions.

[Dennis]

StarMan wrote:

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And here I was hoping for something of Titanic proportions.

Says the man whose avatar is forever on the verge of showing us her TITS!

[Pioneer]

Procutus wrote:

---

FINALLY, someone who is in a position to, confirms that the extra time will actually be put to good use in terms of post-production, and that the Suits still weren't pushing for the film to be 'in the can' by its' original schedule.

Okay, I can live with this. I'll settle for May of next year as long as they allow the FX team time to make it as visually staggering as possible, and if they let J.J. reshoot any scenes he feels that he can improve.

I was surprised to find that they're still thinking of releasing a full trailer in the summer given the change, but hey, I won't complain. I wonder if we'll get a second trailer then sometime next winter, or if they'll do only the one and that will be that?

Yes. I'm with you on all points. Ditto. Hear, Hear!

[T'Bonz]

Starship Polaris wrote:

---

Says the man whose avatar is forever on the verge of showing us her TITS!

See the quote on her shirt about streaking?

You and I are old enough to remember that craze.

[TJinPgh]

TrekToday wrote:

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"...I think that they are starting to look at it as a big summer crowd-pleaser as opposed to a very sci-fi, not-as-accessible-to a-wider-audience Christmas release. So the reason that they have moved the release date is for their ability to market the film and sort of position it as the Pirates of the Caribbean for next summer."

Read: We've spent a bundle on this movie and can't make it up in the 2-4 weeks a Christmas release affords. So, we're moving it to the summer so, IF it lasts long enough, it might show a profit.

[Admiral Bear]

TJinPgh wrote:

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Read: We've spent a bundle on this movie and can't make it up in the 2-4 weeks a Christmas release affords. So, we're moving it to the summer so, IF it lasts long enough, it might show a profit.

I think that's probably the general consensus despite what other posters have written on this thread. It really reeks even more of the suits saying we are very pleased, and nothing will screw the film more than that.

The film may well turn out to be superb, but the fans who generally have a fairly good handle on these things, know what tends to happen when Paramount think it's making good product.

[TJinPgh]

Well, like I said before, I don't believe it has anything to do with a show of faith. It's a matter of demographics and necessity.
If they thought that this was true blockbuster material, it wouldn't matter if it was released at Christmas or not. They'd make enough in 2-4 weeks to cover at least 75% of the budget.
The demographics of this, whether they want to openly say it or not, is that the prime audience of a movie such as this is the <30 crowd (mostly male). Summer is simply the time when that demographic is the most accessible because you have summer break from college and school, in addition to it being the biggest vacation time of the year.
That's also where the necessity part comes in. The summer movie season is the longest BIG season of the year. Meaning, a movie can do well at any point during the summer and make a lot of money, versus the Christmas season which, while a movie may last for several months in a theatre, will make most of it's money up front, then taper off quickly.
The reality of the situation is that, no matter how much we, as Trek fans, may love the franchise, Star Trek films have never been "blockbusters." Yes, they tend to make a profit (only one hasn't). But, that is usually because the budgets are rather modest.
I'm sorry if I also don't buy into the J.J. Abrams hype. He has no track record in big screen production that lends itself to believing he knows what it takes to make $150m+ with a movie. He's not done it yet, anyway. His best effort, thus far, was MI:3, which failed to meet the budget. Cloverfield made a little over half of that, but only cost $30m to make. Which, truth be told, is exactly the thinking that should have gone into this movie.

[CaptainJon]

A lot of the problem with M:i:III wasn't Abrams' fault. Cruise's popularity at the time wasn't great, and considering it was a Tom Cruise vehicle, that hurt the film from a PR perspective. But if you look at the reviews, it was a superior movie to its predecessors, and did a much better job of focusing on the ensemble than just the big headline star.

That M:i:III had more of an ensemble feel to it then its predecessors is encouraging for me, because it means that Abrams will find some way of being able to shuffle the entire cast to have some kind of screen time. While TOS' main focus was on "The Big Three", you've also got a villain and a Spock from the future, in addition to having to fit Captain Pike in. I think Abrams can do it and I'm looking forward to seeing what he gives us.

I think this change is a good one, and at least people are already talking about the movie in the media. Already I think it's been mentioned more since it was first announced then the last two Trek films ever were! How many magazines or news articles have listed this new movie as one of the top "must-see" or "most anticipated" movies of the year? I hope this schedule change will help increase its box office take.

[AntonyF]

I love your signature Zion!!

[Captain Fine]

If putting this movie in the summer of '09 rather than Christmas '08 ensures that we get another movie after it, then I'm all for it. So I'm cautiously optimistic.