STAR TREK 2 To Boldly Go IMAX 3D...

Some great news today from IMAX and Paramount stating that my favorite (and possibly yours) sci-fi franchise of all time is going IMAX 3D. We've known for awhile now that STAR TREK 2 will be a 3D conversion, but it's nice to have it all tied up in an official fashion.

Here's the official press release (emphasis is mine):

LOS ANGELES, June 13, 2012 -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX) and Paramount Pictures Corporation, a unit of Viacom Inc., today announced that the sequel to J.J. Abrams' 2009 blockbuster Star Trek, will be released in the immersive IMAX® 3D format on May 17, 2013. The film represents the second feature in the ground-breaking franchise to be released in IMAX following Star Trek, which grossed more than $375 million at the worldwide box office.

Following on the heels of Paramount Pictures' and Bad Robot's 2011 hit, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the filmmakers have once again taken full advantage of the IMAX® camera as well as the clarity and scope that The IMAX Experience® provides in order to transport fans into this 23rd century world. Several key sections of the film that feature big action set pieces have been captured with IMAX cameras, which has become an integral tool for visionary filmmakers to tell their amazing stories.

Exclusively in IMAX, sequences shot with the extremely high-resolution cameras will expand to fill the entire screen and further immerse the audience in the vast dimension and adventure of this highly-anticipated follow-up. Directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Damon Lindelof (Prometheus), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Transformers, Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek) the sequel follows another chapter of the USS Enterprise crew's exploration into the unknown. Returning to their posts on the Enterprise are Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, and Bruce Greenwood. They are joined by new cast members Peter Weller and Alice Eve.

"We were so thrilled with the creative results of shooting IMAX for Mission: Impossible that we jumped at the chance to use the format for Star Trek. All expectations were exceeded -- the action and resolution is insane at this scale. We cannot wait for audiences to see the crew of the Enterprise in a way they never have before," said J.J. Abrams. 

"J.J. and the filmmaking team behind the Star Trek franchise are once again working to give audiences one of the best film going experiences available today," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. "Following the great success of the first film in the newly revived franchise, the sequel to Star Trek will no doubt be among the top choices for moviegoers next summer."

"We are extremely proud to be continuing our successful partnership with Paramount Pictures, J.J., Bryan Burk, Bad Robot and the entire Star Trek team through this iconic franchise that has the perfect DNA for IMAX fans," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment.

The IMAX release of the Star Trek sequel will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment and technology companies, specializing in the creation and delivery of premium, awe-inspiring entertainment experiences. With a growing suite of cutting-edge motion picture and sound technologies, and a globally recognized entertainment brand, IMAX is singularly situated at the convergence of the entertainment industry, innovation and the digital media world. The industry's top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and as such, the IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe. The Company's new digital projection and sound systems - combined with a growing blockbuster film slate - are fueling the rapid expansion of the IMAX network in established markets such as North America, Western Europe, and Japan, as well as emerging markets such as China and Russia. IMAX deliver the world's best cinematic presentations using proprietary IMAX®, IMAX 3D®, and IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-Mastering) technologies. IMAX DMR enables virtually any motion picture to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience®.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of March 31, 2012, there were 643 IMAX theatres (510 commercial multiplex, 20 commercial destination and 113 institutional) in 52 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience® and The IMAX Experience® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

The Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Production Will Be Released Worldwide in IMAX Theatres on May 17, 2013.

Click here to access all of our STAR TREK 2 coverage!

Source: IMAX

SAMARAI JACK Will Be Slicing Through 3D Screens! J.J. Abrams Producing!!

Jim here. Screenrant has a nice writeup about SAMARAI JACK headed to the big screen. The Emmy award winning animation from the Cartoon Network (2001 - 2004) will be brought to cinema by co-producer J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot Productions with a reported budget of $20 million.

The movie will combine 2D animation with S3D - so flat characters in a 3D world. Interesting. Zemeckis wants to pull off something similar with the animation portions of ROGER RABBIT 2 - only RR2 will have live action elements too of course.

Visually the early 2000's cartoon was very well done. And the premise is good too: Jack was a noble warrior who is cast into the future by the evil Aku, “the shape-shifting Master of Darkness.” Each episode involved Jack’s attempts to return to the past to defeat Aku once and for all.

Sounds delicious. Should be great to see what Abrams and co. and come up with! Whenever I read this title though, it reminds me of cheese. Hope it ISN'T cheesy...

J.J. Abrams Considering STAR TREK 2 In Stereoscopic 3D!!!

Jim here. Our friends at Collider caught Mr. J.J. Abrams talking about many things at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica this afternoon. One item in particular caught my eye.

Yes. Abrams is considering stereoscopic 3D for STAR TREK II. When an intrepid reporter asked the most important question of the day: "Any chance of you shooting the next Star Trek film in 3-D?"
JJ replied: "Paramount talked to me about doing the first one in 3-D and, having it only be my second film, I was petrified just at the addition of it. I thought it would be another dimension of pain-in-the-ass. I was just like, “I want to make a decent 2-D movie.” I was so worried that, instead of being a decent 2-D movie, it would have been a bad 3-D one. I’m open to looking at it ’cause now I feel a little bit more comfortable. And, if I, in fact, direct the Star Trek sequel, 3-D could be really fun, so I’m open to it. What I’ve seen of Avatar makes me want to do it because it’s so crazy-cool looking."

So straight from the horse's mouth. Isn't it awesome that the studios are coming to the directors with 3D requests?? Paramount saying 3D is good for STAR TREK makes me want to run wig-wag up the street like Kirk. We all know this is J.J.'s baby. Yet again, another director making career decisions based on what he has seen of AVATAR. Love it!

Exclusive: Chris Pine Talks Star Trek Sequel - Will it be in 3D? (ShoWest 2009)

Hi everyone, Michael here.  I had the chance to ask the new James Tiberius Kirk himself, Chris Pine, about the possibility of the recently announced sequel to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek being made in 3D.  Pine thinks that given J.J.'s love of technology, he would probably love to do something in 3D, but it remains to be seen whether Trek 2 will be a 3D project.

Here is my question:

Hi Chris.  Star Trek looks amazing - I can't wait for it.  The sequel was just announced, and at ShoWest this year 3D movies have been a major topic.  I know you worked with Zoe Saldana who worked on James Cameron's Avatar, which will be in 3D.  Also, at WonderCon, J.J. was wearing an Avatar t-shirt.  So what are your thoughts on having Star Trek 2 be in 3D?

Watch Pine's response below:

Star Trek looks like a fantastic reboot with all the right ingredients.  We'll keep you updated on Star Trek 2 as we find out more.

Showest 2009: IMAX Presentation of Upcoming Films!

Michael here.  IMAX showed a cool video highlighting its future movie lineup (both IMAX 3D and regular IMAX) which included clips, logos, and posters from upcoming IMAX films and clips of filmmakers such as James Cameron, Michael Bay, and J.J. Abrams.

By the way, the Avatar logo shown is an old fanart - nothing official here, unfortunately. It's funny that IMAX used it in their presentation, however - kudos to the artist for that!

Check it out below:

I'm hyped to see all of these IMAX films - Monsters Vs. Aliens and Beowulf in IMAX 3D were the most impressive 3D experiences I've had to date.  It's clear that cinema is evolving, and that 3D and IMAX are leading the charge.  Bring on the future!

J.J. Abrams sports "Avatar" threads at "Trek" Panel!

**SAME DAY UPDATE #2: Jim here - A great MarketSaw reader named Mirza sent me a link to Trekmovie and I blew up the blow up of the Power Suit! :-) You can see the bottom of the shirt much better with this enlargement.

**SAME DAY UPDATE: Jim here - Got an update from the authentic Na'vi photo source (so it is DAMN reliable!) that the image on JJ's shirt is "an exploded parts schematic of the Power Suits (as referred to in the scriptment)." AWESOME!

Wish we could make more of it out. Anybody have better shots of it than this? Send it our way if you do! And definitely check out the AICN WonderCon report...

Michael here. We've heard a bit about Jon Favreau's and Danny Boyle's enthusiasm for Avatar, and of course many other top directors have visited the set. So it doesn't surprise me that J.J. Abrams would don an Avatar shirt at the WonderCon panel for Star Trek. After all, his Uhura is Cameron's Ney'tiri.

Click here for Quint's great report on the WonderCon "Trek" panel over at Aintitcool, including close-ups of J.J.'s Avatar shirt!

I'm having some trouble making out the text and design on the shirt - any readers who can help, please chime in below.

photo by Quint

Quick Post: Hey why not? Here's a Star Trek Update!

Yeah, I know J.J. Abrams is not making "Star Trek" in 3D, but I have been a huge fan of Star Trek since I was 5. I've always thought of myself as a Trekkie - definitely not fanatically, but still enough to know a 'little' Klingon. Enough said.

I have a source who is close - ok - he is ON the Paramount set of Star Trek and he keeps me up to date on things. Well I thought this was interesting so I will pass it on...

"Yeah it's a bummer about Trek getting pushed back...I'll be back on the set on (Edited on for obvious reasons) so I'll let you know what transpires there. I hope I get to see Nimoy again..that was pretty awesome. Zachary Quinto does an absolutely perfect job playing Spock, too...it was funny watching him on set...he was eating constantly. J.J. and the rest of the cast were always ribbing him for it. Oh, and Zoe Saldana is freakin HOT."

So you heard it hear first folks - Quinto is a catering connoisseur!! LOL. Nice to see that JJ keeps a humorous set - hard to keep those damn green bloods from eating so much! Personally I am so psyched for this film and I wish they would consider 3D for the franchise. Perhaps for the next one. ...Meeting Leonard Nimoy - I am sooo jealous!