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TMNT Struggles, Adds Pressure To ‘Beyond’ Can the Enterprise rescue Paramount from a disastrous year?
Paramount Pictures focused more on quality rather than quantity for the summer blockbuster season. But it might have settled more for just lower quantity. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” struggled at the North American box office over the weekend, barely beating out “X-Men: Apocalypse” on its second week, and delivering some serious bad news to the executive offices of Viacom chair Philippe Dauman. The sequel from producer Michael Bay earned just $35.3 million domestically on its opening weekend, and $69.3 million worldwide. It slipped past “Apocalypse,” whi …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jun-6-2016 |

Menosky Returns, Signs On As TV Trek Writer PLUS: ‘Heroes’ writer Aron Coleite earns scribe slot
The writing staff for the new Star Trek series on CBS All Access is getting bigger. And once again, it appears showrunner Bryan Fuller is looking for familiar names. Joe Menosky, who was a story editor on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and continued to write episodes for many of the Trek spinoffs, is the latest writer to join Fuller’s team, according to writer Kemp Powers. Joining Menosky at the table is a writer Fuller has worked with in the past on NBC’s “Heroes,” Aron Coleite. Powers, a playwright who most recently debuted a play about Muhammad Ali called “One Night in …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jun-5-2016 |

Lin Convinced Karl Urban To Return For ‘Beyond’ Dr. McCoy actor almost RSVPed his regrets to new film
The worst thing someone ever wants to hear in a relationship is that it’s over, and that “it’s not you, it’s me.” Karl Urban almost sent that very message to Paramount Pictures last year when it came time for him to reprise his role of Dr. Leonard McCoy in “Star Trek: Beyond.” But it was actually new director Justin Lin that ultimately convinced him to stay. “I was on the fence about doing the movie until I spoke with Justin,” Urban recently told IGN’s Scott Collura. “Because I had a conflicting schedule, and I had a decision to make about which film to do, and I was no lon …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jun-4-2016 |

Spock Doc Gets Premiere Date, Distributor Adam Nimoy’s film about his father will debut in time for 50th anniversary
“For the Love of Spock” is coming to a theater — and video-on-demand service — near you. On Sept. 9. That’s the day after the Star Trek franchise, which the late Leonard Nimoy was a part of from the very beginning, celebrates its 50th anniversary. And it will be the day fans everywhere will have their first real chance to see how Adam Nimoy honored his father, who died last year. Following a successful showing at the Tribeca Film Festival last month in Manhattan, Gravitas Ventures has bought the worldwide distribution rights to the film, according to …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jun-3-2016 |

Saldana Helps Coach Get ‘Beyond’ Cameo Carlo Ancelotti will have his ‘normal face’ in appearance
It’s not easy to get a cameo in a Star Trek movie. But even a soccer coach in Italy can find a way to do it — that is, if you know the right people. Carlo Ancelotti, the new coach of the German soccer team Bayern Munich, said he earned a small non-speaking role in “Star Trek: Beyond” thanks to his indirect friendship with Zoe Saldana. The Uhura actress is married to artist Marco Perego. “The husband of the actress Zoe Saldana is Italian, and we have a good relationship with the family,” Ancelotti said, according to The Sport Bible. Ancelotti wouldn’t provide much detai …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jun-2-2016 |

Could Trek’s Parents Get Back Together? Serious speculation on re-merging Viacom, CBS under Les Moonves
Divorces aren’t always forever. But if CBS Corp. and Paramount Pictures parent Viacom Inc., do indeed decide to get back together, it won’t be out of love … but instead, necessity. With family members and company executives battling over control of the majority shares in both companies owned by 93-year-old Sumner Redstone, some serious talk has started that might aim the two separate companies toward undoing the 2006 split, and re-merging Viacom and CBS. That would have a tremendous impact on a good portion of Hollywood — especially as a combined CBS/Viacom would clearly …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jun-1-2016 |

‘Voyager’ Novelist Joins TV Trek’s Writing Staff Kirsten Beyer had to cancel convention appearance in Maryland
Pocket Books just might have to share its “Star Trek: Voyager” writer. At least for now. Kirsten Beyer, who has authored 10 “Voyager” books (with two more on the way) over the past decade or so, is heading for a new gig: The writing team of the upcoming Star Trek series for CBS All Access. Although CBS has not confirmed the hire, a Maryland convention called Shore Leave announced Beyer had to pull out as a guest specifically because she was joining the new series. “One of our author guests, Kirsten Beyer, has to cancel her attendance at Shore Leave 38 for an admittedly v …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jun-1-2016 |

Fan-Films: We Weren’t Involved In ‘Axanar’ Guidelines Very little support for Alec Peters’ attempts at fan unity
CBS Corp. and Paramount Pictures are reportedly working on Star Trek fan-film guidelines that could change the world such hobby productions currently exist. And Alec Peters — who, along with his fan-film company Axanar Productions, are being sued by the two studios for copyright infringement — was not invited. So Peters thought he would put together a fan-film coalition of his own to draft guidelines. Except it now seems no one really showed up. Just days after Peters …

MICHAEL HINMAN | May-31-2016 |

‘Beyond’ Features A Little Trek History With Starbase Simon Pegg shares some details on gigantic space station
Watch the new “Star Trek: Beyond” trailer wondering what that impressive space station was? Well, wonder no more. “Beyond” co-writer and co-star Simon Pegg told IGN the station is in fact called Starbase Yorktown, and is located at the edge of Federation space. It’s a “diplomatic hub,” where Federation inductees can interact with each other and “better understand what being part of the Federation means.” Yorktown also has tactical importance for the Federation, Pegg added. …

ANDREW ALLARDYCE | May-30-2016 |

Serious Push For New Trek Series To Include Gay Character New petition would tackle a true final frontier for franchise
Jordan Krueger says he’s been a Star Trek fan for as long as he can remember. He was drawn to Trek’s vision of a better, more peaceful, more open and accepting future. Accepting, that is, except for members of his community: The one described by four very distinct letters of L, G, B and T. “I consider myself a Star Trek fan through-and-through,” Krueger recently said online. “But I would be devastated if another series ignores lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people the way past series have done. I want to see more people like me on Star Trek.” So Krueger, the foun …

MICHAEL HINMAN | May-29-2016 |

Axanar Offers Fan-Film Guidelines Of Its Own Embattled ‘independent’ production gets help from other producers
Settlement talks apparently continue between the studios that own Star Trek — CBS Corp. and Paramount Pictures — and a fan-film they said went to far, “Star Trek: Axanar.” With the announcement of those talks a week ago, the studios also surprised everyone by saying it was creating guidelines for fan-films. Not to be left out, “Axanar” — which appears to be the very reason why CBS and Paramount are looking to create fan-film guidelines to begin with — have come up with some sugges …

MICHAEL HINMAN | May-27-2016 |

Will CBS Continue Axanar Lawsuit On Its Own? Paramount might be willing to settle, but Star Trek has two owners
CBS Corp. and Paramount Pictures first went their separate ways at the end of 2005 — and they might be doing it again. Although “Star Trek: Beyond” producer J.J. Abrams insists the copyright infringement lawsuit the studios filed against an “independent” fan-film was “going away,” it seems Abrams was really only able to speak on behalf of one of the plaintiffs. The other, CBS, is far from ready to settle. And a countersuit filed by Axanar Productions and its princip …

MICHAEL HINMAN | May-26-2016 |

Trek’s Prime Universe ‘Closed For Business’? Latest rumor suggests new series will take place in AbramsVerse
There might have been a little bit of truth to some of the gossip last month about the new Star Trek series planned for CBS All Access. A source tells 1701News that the series, set to debut in January on the subscription streaming service, could be a prequel of sorts, taking place after Capt. Kirk and his voyages of the USS Enterprise. With one catch — it won’t be in the prime universe of Star Trek pre-2009, but instead set in the new universe brought to us by J.J. Abrams. “There is apparently a contingent within CBS that views the prime universe closed for business,” said …

MICHAEL HINMAN | May-25-2016 |

Quinto Ensures Nimoy’s Spirit Thrives In ‘Beyond’ Still not clear, however, if film will acknowledge actor’s passing
Zachary Quinto knew the moment he signed up to play Spock in the rebooted Star Trek film franchise, he’d have big shoes to fill. But it didn’t become fully apparent to him until he met the man who made Spock, well, Spock for nearly 50 years: Leonard Nimoy. More than a year after his passing, Quinto says he still misses the actor who quickly became a friend. And even started adopting some of Nimoy’s on-set practices — like never conducting interviews while in the Spock character. “I would say my connection to the character is deeper now because of our relationship,” Quinto t …

MICHAEL HINMAN | May-25-2016 |

Axanar Countersues Paramount, CBS In Copyright Case PLUS: Fan-film once again questions who actually owns copyrights to Star Trek
If Paramount and CBS are indeed in the process of settling its copyright infringement lawsuit against an “independent” fan-film, it will now have to settle two. That’s because the attorney representing Axanar Productions and its principal, Alec Peters, have filed a countersuit against Paramount Pictures and CBS Corp., claiming that not only has the fan-film not violated any of the Star Trek copyrights, but that the studios should be barred from suing Axanar over it again in the future. “Plaintiffs have not and will not suffer any market harm as a result of the creation and …

MICHAEL HINMAN | May-24-2016 |