14 DAY TRIAL // At this point, William Shatner is playing games with the fans. After a series of rumors saying he was in talks to reprise his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk in “Star Trek 3,” opposite Leonard Nimoy as Spock, and a very firm denial on Twitter, he’s again bringing the topic up on the table.
This time, he’s only teasing us because he’s not saying anything in particular about the possibility of a cameo in the third installment – but he does confirm he was in talks with J.J. Abrams for an appearance in the previous two movies. Then again, that’s not news, because it was already well known.
Shatner attends the 2014 Wizard World Nashville Comic Con
The teasing in question occurred during the actor’s panel at the 2014 Wizard World Nashville Comic Con, which took place over the weekend. You can see a video of that segment embedded below. Given the kind of attention the rumor that he would appear in the third “Star Trek” got, it was to be expected for him to say something on the topic, though chances are his fans would have rather they got a denial than more of this teasing. “I'm calling because the director of Star Trek, the next movie, has had an idea where you might be involved, so I'm calling to find out whether you would be interested,” Shatner said, referring to the phone call he got in connection to the possibility of reprising the role that made him an international star. Of course, the director in question was Abrams, who helmed the first two installments and with whom Shatner had a huge falling out when he couldn’t have his way of getting more screentime than just a cameo. The third installment will be directed by Roberto Orci, so chances are that Abrams’ offer is no longer on the table. “So the news is out that they have an idea that they want Leonard and myself... they might want Leonard and myself in it,” Shatner continued. “But I would love to do it. But how do you get me fifty years later into the movie? I mean how do you rationalize it. I know it's science fiction, but even I couldn't come up with an idea. So that's the news on that.”
Shatner isn’t exactly the most reliable source of intel
Ironically, only a few days ago, Shatner was accusing the movie studio of tossing his name in conversation on “Star Trek 3” to build hype around the film because, as far as he knew, he hadn’t been contacted for a cameo. Either the actor is really in negotiations and he’s saying all these contradictory things to keep fans and the media off the scent, or he wasn’t even asked and he’s trying to get attention by campaigning for a cameo. If it’s the latter, the bigger the fuss Shatner manages to create, the more likely he is to land the cameo, because it would prove to producers that he can still generate plenty of attention. In the meantime, fans are stuck not knowing who and what to believe. Most Trekkies would be delighted to see Shatner and Nimoy on the big screen again, because there’s nothing like the classic Kirk and Spock chemistry to make a movie even more enjoyable than it already is. On the other hand, Shatner has quite the diva reputation and it’s said to have cost him one cameo in the new franchise already (back when Abrams was director). In many ways, whether he gets to reprise the role is entirely up to him.
Let's talk ST. I don't know anything about the current gossip. Nobody has contacted me. Right now it's just rhetoric to cause hype.
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) September 23, 2014
I pinned the Star Trek tweet to the top of my profile.
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) September 24, 2014