The 'Cloverfield' director admits that at first he didn't agree to convert the upcoming 'Star Trek' sequel into 3D, but he changed his mind after watching the 3D test given to the first movie.
- Jan 9, 2012
AceShowbiz - While it has been confirmed that "Star Trek 2" will be given a high-end 3D conversion, director J.J Abrams recently admitted that at first he didn't agree with the idea. During the FOX panel at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena on Sunday, January 8, Abrams said that he actually "didn't want" to convert the film but the result of 3D test for the first movie has eventually convinced him to do the conversion.
"I did not fight for the 3D. It was something that the studio wanted to do, and I didn't want to do it," he shared. "And then, when I saw the first movie converted in sections, I thought that it actually looked really cool."
"So, I was okay with their doing it, as long as I could shoot the movie the way I wanted to, in anamorphic film, and then let them convert it," the 45-year-old filmmaker went on explaining. "So, those who want to see it in 3D, which looked pretty cool, can do it, and those that want to see it in 2D can do that too."
Asked if he will shoot the "Star Trek" sequel using his signature lens flares again, Abrams said, "I've had some people make fun of me about that. Yeah, we've done some tests. Not only lens flare tests, but we've done 3D tests."
"We actually converted a bunch of the original movie, which looked really good," he continued. "That was the thing that made me feel like, maybe that would be okay. But, I didn't want to shoot the movie digitally."
During the chat, Abrams also opened up about Benedict Cumberbatch's casting in the highly anticipated sci-fi movie. While he played coy on whether or not the English actor will play the villain, the "Super 8" helmer praised the "War Horse" actor as a "genius" actor.
"We just were looking for someone with the most awesome name in history," said Abrams. "That was the casting call. We asked for someone with the most awesome name in history, ever, and Benedict Cumberbatch showed up, so we were like, 'You're cast!' "
He added, "He's a genius. Honestly, he's just an incredible actor. If you've seen his work in 'Sherlock', he's just got incredible skills. He's an amazing actor. He did amazing work [on stage] in 'Frankenstein'. He's brilliant. You try to cast people who are great. We got lucky."
The untitled Star Trek sequel is set to kick off filming on Thursday, January 12 and is scheduled to open wide in the U.S. theaters on May 17, 2013. Serving as the screenwriters for the upcoming movie are Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof and Bruce Greenwood.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana will return as James T. Kirk, Spock and Nyota Uhura respectively. They will be joined by Alice Eve, Peter Weller, Noel Clarke, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban and John Cho.
