Writers Give Updates On TRANSFORMERS And TREK
Prolific scribes Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman confirm the imminent wrap of the new Star Trek film and discuss how great movie sequels inspired them to up the ante on Transformers 2.
Writing duo Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, who teamed up with Ehren Kruger (The Ring) to script Michael Bay's Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, told Sci Fi Wire's PATRICK LEE that they're trying to emulate the sequels they love.
"We loved Superman II, we loved Empire [Strikes Back], we loved Aliens," Kurtzman said. "And those were all movies that felt like they truly stood apart from what had come before them in great, great ways."
Transformers 2 will bring back many of the first film's characters while introducing some new ones and raising the stakes for all.
"What it's about is making sure the emotional stakes feel like they are at a new place and that this movie has a reason to tell itself beyond just the studio wants another Transformers movie," said Kurtzman. "And a lot of that has to do with 'How do you make this movie more emotional? How does this movie stand out from the first one?'"
Transformers 2 is about a month away from the end of principal photography, the writers said.
The pair also confirmed that the upcoming Star Trek, which they wrote and produced for long-time collaborator J.J. Abrams, is near completion. They still wouldn't divulge any of the top-secret storyline, other than that it deals with events early in the careers of the original TV series ensemble, including Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Mister Spock (Zachary Quinto).
Orci reiterated that the reboot will appeal both to ardent fans and newcomers to the franchise. "If you're a fan, it's a re-introduction to Star Trek, and if you're not, it's an introduction. And the idea of sort of doing two movies in one is tricky, because you don't want to somehow dilute it, but again, since this is not a story that's ever been covered in the Trek canon, in terms of the film or the series, it's an old and a new story."
Star Trek warps into theaters on May 8, 2009. Transformers 2 conquers movie screens on the following June 26th.