Abrams wanted Shatner in Star Trek
“We tried desperately to put him in the movie”
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Director JJ Abrams has confirmed he wanted William Shatner to appear in the new Star Trek movie.
“We actually had written a scene with him in it that was a flashback kind of thing, but the truth is, it didn't quite feel right,” he told AMCtv . “The bigger thing was that he was very vocal that he didn't want to do a cameo.
We tried desperately to put him in the movie, but he was making it very clear that he wanted the movie to focus on him significantly, which, frankly, he deserves.”
Keeping to Canon
Abrams also claimed that the fate of Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations caused a headache for the writers when they tried inserting a Shatner cameo into the picture.
“The story that we were telling required a certain adherence to the Trek canon and consistency of storytelling,” he added.
“It's funny -- a lot of the people who were proclaiming that he must be in this movie were the same people saying it must adhere to canon.
“Well, his character died on screen. Maybe a smarter group of filmmakers could have figured out how to resolve that.”
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
Obviously Abrams isn’t aware of – or has chosen to ignore – the Shatnerverse. Can Trek really be Trek without Bill? Sound off, below.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.


