Sci-Fi Shenanigans

The Perfect Holiday Gift?

For some strange reason, this doesn't surprise me.

Star Trek release date possibly getting pushed back?  

I've both been waiting for this speculation to go mainstream and dreading it. This has probably been floating around in the truly sci-fi oriented forums for a while, but due to my schedule I can't possibly even try to follow any of them. Thus, postulations posted in places like IMDB keep me somewhat in the loop. Anyway, so why am I torn about this? I agree with the author's opinion that the script will need work. On the other hand, a 70 page outline? Holy crap. Let me know how that works out for you, guys! As someone who anticipates taking on a script in the next year, I can say that 70 pages is pretty steep. That's going to have to be whittled down, and one hopes they can get it done. Given that all three writers involved had other projects that are now in marketing (or at least post production), they have been distracted. Now is the time to move, though. They better get on it. (And yeah guys, we need more Bones. Hint hint.)

That delay is why I'm a little concerned about the pushback. There has already been some fandom backlash about the sequel being released in 2012 rather than 2011. I kind of want to smack said fangirls, but that's neither here nor there. What concerns me is this. Can a move with very intense, in your face special effects succeed in a holiday film market? The last decade suggests not. Unless Paramount puts their foot down and holds them to Thanksgiving weekend (or maybe even before), the release will coincide with Oscar bait. Oscar bait projects are played closer to the vest two-three years prior, so it is hard to say what competition the sequel will face. Also, the Oscar bait and the sequel will borrow from each other's audiences during an already economically demanding time of year. Before you paint the Star Trek fans with too broad a brush, consider this. Ribit, mi amor and I all saw both the Star Trek reboot and The King's Speech in the theater. Yes, they were released in different years at different times of the year. Would this movie theater attendance have happened if both of these films were released around, say, Christmas 2008? That is a tough call. (Random factoid: The reboot was originally supposed to be released on Christmas 2008 but got pushed back for a more advantageous release day.) It's a real tossup, and I'm really only willing to rise to the bait if the movie gets released prior to Christmas.

So with all my wibbling out of the way, what do you think?