Kirk Casting...

[SeamusShameless]

But Kirk was never anywhere near as cut as Chris Evans is. Fit, yes, but he always had that little hint of a gut. Evans' stomach is so ripped, if he took his shirt off it would be a continutiy error in and of itself. Albeit, one that the women will love. That said, I think he'd make a good Kirk. His eyes would probably be the biggest problem for me, I find it hard to suspend disbelief when an actor is wearing a bad set of contacts. Jessica Alba's blue eyes in FF looked horribly fake. If Evans did play Kirk, they would have to either spring for digital eye color like they did with Mystique in the X-Men movies (which would be a bit much) or find some really good-looking hazel contacts.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

No they wouldn't. Kirk's eyes would simply be a different color.

Evans is in better shape than Shatner was in his 30s? So much the better.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Evans would be ok.

 

[Jon1701]

UWC Defiance said:
No they wouldn't. Kirk's eyes would simply be a different color.

Evans is in better shape than Shatner was in his 30s? So much the better.

Totally. In TOS Shatner only looked good for the first few episodes of each season.

He himself described Kirk as looking "Beefy" from time to time.

That just wont cut it any more.

 

[SeamusShameless]

jon1701 said:

Totally. In TOS Shatner only looked good for the first few episodes of each season.

He himself described Kirk as looking "Beefy" from time to time.

That just wont cut it any more.

Why not? Why is modern culture so hard pressed to convince people that only uber-fit people are attractive? Do you really think a starship captain has the time to sculpt his abs for three hours a day?
I know, why don't they hire some unknown underwear model to play Kirk and he can run around in a speedo emblazoned with a delta shield. I'm sure that would make the women happy.

 

[Holytomato]

I'm a lesbian so...

 

[Cary L. Brown]

SeamusShameless said:

jon1701 said:Totally. In TOS Shatner only looked good for the first few episodes of each season.

He himself described Kirk as looking "Beefy" from time to time.

That just wont cut it any more.

Why not? Why is modern culture so hard pressed to convince people that only uber-fit people are attractive? Do you really think a starship captain has the time to sculpt his abs for three hours a day?
I know, why don't they hire some unknown underwear model to play Kirk and he can run around in a speedo emblazoned with a delta shield. I'm sure that would make the women happy.

Absolutely true.

The fact is, over the past few decades we've developed some pretty perverse ideas about what "average" people should be like? Based in large part upon the Hollywood narcissism we've all been programmed with.

Reality - very few people in "real life" look super-pretty, have perfect "ripped, zero-body-fat" bodies, and so forth. Shatner was the "prettiest" of the men in TOS... and yes, even he had a receding hairline and a jellyroll around his waist.

I would really prefer to have the actors playing these various roles look more human and less "supermodelish." After all the characters they're playing aren't supposed to be modeling-catwalk-striding male Paris Hiltons, are they???

Look around you in real life. Look at people who are REAL heroes, in real life. The guys we saw in TOS were really fairly "human" looking. (The women, on the other hand, tended to be unreasonably beautiful... there were very few "average-looking" women seen on TOS, in large part due to Roddenberry's "casting methodology," I presume.)

I would REALLY prefer not to have this movie populated by people who belong on a fascist "Master Race" recruitment poster!

 

[DarthPipes]

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Casting Kirk is going to be much more difficult than casting for Spock. If the actor plays Kirk as totally serious, then it won't be the Kirk from the TV show. If he plays Kirk like Shatner, then it will come across as a parody. It's a difficult line to toe.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The difficulty of playing Kirk is why it's even more important for the actor to look like Shatner than it is for the Spock actor to look like Nimoy. The guy is going to need every bit of help to convince us that he's Kirk: he'll need acting talent, the right "sincere hero" persona and looks.

Quinto can use the whole long-suffering, rolling-eyes, raised-eyebrows Vulcan thing, and all the rest of Nimoy's mannerisms, to help convince us that he's Spock. All he needs to do is look at the old episodes and I'm sure he'll nail it cold. The guy playing Kirk won't have that to draw upon. Maybe he can adapt Shatner's mannerisms, but it will be to a greatly reduced extent.

 

[fudgefase]

SeamusShameless said:

jon1701 said:

"I know, why don't they hire some unknown underwear model to play Kirk and he can run around in a speedo emblazoned with a delta shield."




I'd be prepared to give him a go, but he'd have to be able to make me laugh too!

Seriously, we're all getting very tangled here - the deed is almost certainly done by now.
It might be Eoin or Jensen or someone completely unexpected. Some will hate him; some will say the casting is inspired. Some will call on us to boycott the film - more will toddle along anyway (but probably NOT on Christmas day!) just out of sheer curiosity.
Either way, it'll be a new Kirk, and we'll just have to accept him! Let's not make it more difficult than it already is for the guy. If he's in the age group to play Kirk in this film, he'll not even have seen Shatner as anything other than a portly, middle aged man, and he'll have missed the animal magnetism of the young Kirk. I personally loved TOS Kirk - he will really be the only one ever for me. But I'm prepared to give the new guy a chance. Yes, he'll probably be fitter, leaner and more ripped than the original series (that'll be a hardship for us girlies - sorry if you're a lesbian and don't want to participate) but that's what sells nowdays. We demand perfection in our TV/film people - look at any gossip mag to see the lengths they'll go through to attain that so called perfection. It's not healthy for us or them. But we're a tabloid driven society and that's just tough for us normal people.
We're winding ourselves up over something we can't control, so let's just get with the programme, and settle down to enjoy the show! :thumbsup:

 

[Stardate]

Cary L. Brown said:

SeamusShameless said:

jon1701 said:Totally. In TOS Shatner only looked good for the first few episodes of each season.

He himself described Kirk as looking "Beefy" from time to time.

That just wont cut it any more.

Why not? Why is modern culture so hard pressed to convince people that only uber-fit people are attractive? Do you really think a starship captain has the time to sculpt his abs for three hours a day?
I know, why don't they hire some unknown underwear model to play Kirk and he can run around in a speedo emblazoned with a delta shield. I'm sure that would make the women happy.

Absolutely true.

The fact is, over the past few decades we've developed some pretty perverse ideas about what "average" people should be like? Based in large part upon the Hollywood narcissism we've all been programmed with.

Reality - very few people in "real life" look super-pretty, have perfect "ripped, zero-body-fat" bodies, and so forth. Shatner was the "prettiest" of the men in TOS... and yes, even he had a receding hairline and a jellyroll around his waist.

I would really prefer to have the actors playing these various roles look more human and less "supermodelish." After all the characters they're playing aren't supposed to be modeling-catwalk-striding male Paris Hiltons, are they???

Look around you in real life. Look at people who are REAL heroes, in real life. The guys we saw in TOS were really fairly "human" looking. (The women, on the other hand, tended to be unreasonably beautiful... there were very few "average-looking" women seen on TOS, in large part due to Roddenberry's "casting methodology," I presume.)

I would REALLY prefer not to have this movie populated by people who belong on a fascist "Master Race" recruitment poster!

We haved to take consideration that Star Trek is supposed happened in 23th century. I would think that Human has evolved f.e. by using human genetic engineering cureing diseases, genetic disorder e.c.c.
I know it is big taboo in Star Trek Universe but i do think it will be unavoidable as a next step in Human evaluation.
Humans are going to be taller, smarter, stronger, prettier healthier and more inter-racially in future then today..
This is why i see no problem hiring ,,Supermodelish´´or uber-fit actor or actresses as a requirement for XI movie as it will probarly be norm in 23th century, and please not confuse this with fascist or Nazi blond Arians master race crap. They were nut jobs that i despise. I am not refereeing to one race but all human races.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Yeah the Trek prohibition on genetic engineering seems odd in context of all their technology in other areas, but we just have to accept it as a given in the Trekverse that they'd don't genetically modify people. Just remember the huge fuss over Julian Bashir. And it's a good way of explaining why Picard is bald.

Everyone but Kirk can be pudgy but Kirk must be buff. Why? Because his shirts always get ripped off, that's why!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

SeamusShameless said:

jon1701 said:

Totally. In TOS Shatner only looked good for the first few episodes of each season.

He himself described Kirk as looking "Beefy" from time to time.

That just wont cut it any more.

Why not? Why is modern culture so hard pressed to convince people that only uber-fit people are attractive?

Yep. Welcome to Hollywood.

Do you really think a starship captain has the time to sculpt his abs for three hours a day?

Doesn't matter; there's nothing realistic about "Star Trek." This is a movie being made in 2008 to suit 2008 tastes.

 

[SeamusShameless]

And that's the problem with Hollywood, they hype the trends. There's not much sense of realism in Hollywood anymore, which is why pretty much everything coming out lately has been shit. Star Trek's goal as a film shouldn't be to make as much money as possible, it should be to capture as many hearts as possible. That's the true magic of film-making. Not this, "Hey let's all make a buck and fuck what everyone else thinks," mentality that engulfs Hollywood.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Star Trek's goal as a film shouldn't be to make as much money as possible

Uh...that should certainly be one of the goals, if we want more Trek.

What's wrong with a ripped Kirk? Personally I have no issues with it, he was younger and fitter back then, no continuity issues implied. And unless they decide to cast Jason Alexander in the role, a pretty damned in-shape Kirk is what we're gonna get.

 

[Cary L. Brown]

Temis the Vorta said:

Star Trek's goal as a film shouldn't be to make as much money as possible

Uh...that should certainly be one of the goals, if we want more Trek.

What's wrong with a ripped Kirk? Personally I have no issues with it, he was younger and fitter back then, no continuity issues implied. And unless they decide to cast Jason Alexander in the role, a pretty damned in-shape Kirk is what we're gonna get.

There's a significant difference between "in shape" (which you see on lots of people in real life) and "modelesque physiques" where a guy has zero body fat and super-defined musculature. You can only get that way by spending half of your day, every day, preening and primping and "body sculpting." That may be the "Hollyweird Ideal" but it's not realistic.

My comment wasn't related, at all, towards getting someone like Dennis Franz into the role. A better way to look at it is to look at real military personnel.

When I served, we got up early, had first formation at 6:00am every day, did calisthenics, then a hundred pushups and a couple hundred situps, then a six-mile run, EVERY DAY. And you know what? NONE OF US LOOKED LIKE THE PREENING "HOLLYWOOD IMAGE." Men (and women) who are FIT don't necessarily look like that. And looking like that doesn't necessarily mean that you're stronger, faster, or have better endurance.

Kirk, of course, at the age range we're talking about, should be slim enough (I didn't start having to watch my diet 'til I was in my 30s... I'll assume he'd be much teh same!) And he should have a "Ladies' man's face" with built-in smirk.

But he should NOT look like he spends more time preening in front of a mirror than he does doing his freakin' job... that's all.

 

[fudgefase]

If we're talking fiter and stronger, then we should be casting a male ballet dancer type physique - it's well known that they are stronger, fitter, and have a good deal more stamina than most sportsmen.
Kirk as a ballet dancer. That's a whole new series.

 

[Jon1701]

Heh.

I knew that would cause a row

Look, I never said I wanted a catalogue model to play Kirk. That would be absurd. If we are gonna go down that route we may as well cast Casper Van Dien in the role. I merely suggested that Shatner was quite often out-of-shape when shooting TOS. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, I'm no Charles Atlas myself.

These days though, for a leading man - you have to be good looking. (Which I think Shatner was) As Dennis points out - thats simply the way it is. Our Kirk doesnt need to be "cut", but he cant be overweight either. Then people will start to compare him with Shat.

Look, You all know what I'm saying.

We gotta have something for the ladies. Yes, Temis I know you already have Quinto

 

[fudgefase]

Quinto doesn't float my boat. I want a damn hot Kirk.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

We gotta have something for the ladies. Yes, Temis I know you already have Quinto

I'm greedy. Greedy greedy GREEEEEDDDDYYY!

Besides, gotta have a hotty to play Kirk, screws up the slash otherwise.

Quinto doesn't float my boat. I want a damn hot Kirk.

There's another reason. As someone who also thinks about half the "hot" guys out there are meeehhhh worthy at best, I can sympathize with the need for RANGE.