Since almost the moment we first heard that JJ Abrams was making a new Star Trek movie about a younger version of Kirk and Spock, the rumor mill has been hot with whispers which suggest that Matt Damon might be the man to take over for Shatner in playing Captain Kirk. Since he’s now out promoting The Bourne Ultimatum, savvy internet journalists are getting the opportunity to quiz him about possible Star Trek prequel involvement. His answer is not only surprising, but offers major clues about where Abrams is going with his movie.
It was IGN that first asked Damon the big Trek question, and his answer was that he is not involved in the film… because he’s too old. Damon claims to have spoken to Abrams about the project, and revealed that JJ is looking for an actor of around 20 to play James T. Kirk.
If that’s true, it can mean only one thing. Abrams is throwing established Trek chronology out the window. We know the movie is about Kirk and Spock’s first mission together. In established Trek lore, Kirk is the youngest Captain ever in Starfleet history, taking command of the Enterprise in his late-twenties. Kirk and Spock don’t meet until James T. first takes command of the Enterprise, which would mean a 20-year-old Kirk would not be out having adventures with Spock. Unless of course you’re a Hollywood filmmaker willing to ruin iconic characters and spit on the fans of a long established, monolithic franchise in order to cast young, hot actors in your film and suck in a teen crowd which will inflate your box office. I hope, and desperately want to believe that Abrams is not that kind of filmmaker.
Hopefully, Damon is off his rocker because there’s simply no way a young Kirk can work without completely ruining decades worth of established Star Trek continuity. Watch Matt’s full answer to the Trek question by clicking “play” on the embed below. Meanwhile here's the nightmare I'll be having when I go to sleep tonight: Shia LaBeouf as Captain Kirk.
Comment on “Matt Damon Too Old To Play Captain Kirk”
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Meh, you're jumping to conclusions. Just because Abrams is looking for someone younger doesn't mean anything yet. Maybe he wants a late twenties Kirk to look like an early twenties kind of person to give Kirk a young appearance.
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Since almost the moment we first heard that JJ Abrams was making a new Star Trek movie about a younger version of Kirk and Spock, the rumor mill has been hot with whispers which suggest that Matt Damon might be the man to take over for Shatner in playing Captain Kirk. Since he’s now out promoting The Bourne Ultimatum, savvy internet journalists are getting the opportunity to quiz him about possible Star Trek prequel involvement. His answer is not only surprising, but offers major clues about where Abrams is going with his movie.
July 23rd, 2007 at 14:04
Meh, you're jumping to conclusions. Just because Abrams is looking for someone younger doesn't mean anything yet. Maybe he wants a late twenties Kirk to look like an early twenties kind of person to give Kirk a young appearance.