14 DAY TRIAL // For “Star Trek” fans who found J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot the best fresh start the franchise could possibly get, it's been a very tough couple of years. Production on the sequel kicks off next month and the famous director is finally spilling the beans on what fans can expect from it.
The “Star Trek” sequel went through pre-production hell before it finally got the green light but, now that it has, Abrams can finally address one of the most burning questions: will it be shot in 3D?
MTV News caught up with him just recently at an IMAX screening of “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” and, as expected, asked him several questions about the much anticipated project.
Abrams is notoriously thrifty with the details he offers the press, but this time he made an exception (of sorts), telling MTV “Star Trek” would be converted to 3D in post-production.
“We're shooting on film, 2D, and then we'll do a good high-end conversion like the 'Harry Potter' movie and all that. Luckily, with our release date now we have the months needed to do it right because if you rush it, it never looks good,” Abrams says.
This also means that “Star Trek 2” will have a considerable spending budget, since conversion to 3D costs about $100,000 (€76,057) per minute. Plus, you also have to pay the salary of those doing the actual conversion.
“We were talking about [shooting in IMAX] and I would love to do it. IMAX is my favorite format; I'm a huge fan,” Abrams said during the same conversation with MTV News.
He also confirmed that the script was done, saying he could hardly wait to get started on it as soon as possible. Nevertheless, he refused to say whether Khan would be the villain in the story.
“It's a little early to be talking about 'Star Trek,' but I will say that they wrote – the three writers, Damon [Lindelof], Bob [Orci] and Alex [Kurtzman] – they wrote the most amazing script, and I'm thrilled to get a chance to direct it,” Abrams said.
“It's totally mine to screw up, so if you don't like it, it's completely on me. Our sets are almost done, so we're going to go back and start shooting next month,” he added.
The first “Star Trek” film in the new franchise came out in 2009 and was warmly welcomed by fans and critics alike. It was one of the biggest releases of that year.