After Syriana and The Bourne Supremacy, I can't help but feel like this might be a step down for Matt Damon:
Yahoo Insider reports that J.J. Abrams is very interested in casting the Oscar-winning Damon as a young Captain Kirk in the upcoming 'Star Trek' movie that he's directing and producing.
He's so interested that he's apparently already sought support from the original Kirk, William Shatner who "gave his blessing. J.J. got his approval" says a source.
Rumor has it that the new movie would center on Kirk and Spock's early days at a space academy.
This smells like bullshit to me, unless Paramount isn't so much looking to jumpstart the franchise as they are to score some quick cash. Damon's star power would definitely up the box office total from the last Star Trek movie ($43 million for Nemesis, the lowest grossing film in the series), but there's next to no way the guy woulg sign on for more than one.
Still, if true, it couldn't hurt. For too long Paramount has illogically (heh) banked on a built-in audience for the TV cast, and the declining returns have repeatedly proven this wrong. In fact, stand-alone movies would certainly work better at this point than trying to launch another television series, especially after the lackluster performance of the last two. Why not just sell the name, cast, and/or mythology to whoever wants to hang a film on it, kind of like how they turned the Simon Says script into the third Die Hard movie.
Just imagine the possibilities...
Romance? How about Short Circuit 3: They're Having a Baby (starring No. 5 and Data)?
Epic? Locutus of Arabia, or maybe Once Upon a Time in Antos IV.
Comedy? Forget it, Galaxy Quest was already a better movie than most of the originals.
Remake? Treasure of the Sigma Erandi System perhaps?
Noir? Either The Melkotian Falcon or Kei Largo works for me.
I'll give up before I get to Pon Farr and Away.
Isn't Matt Damon older than William Shatner was when he starred in the original series? How can a man who is rapidly approaching his 40's be the "young" Kirk?
And Rupert Everett as the young Spock! (You heard it here first...)