Trek Movie Report shares this funny exchange between Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner at VegasCon 2007. As you probably already know, Nimoy has signed on to star as an older Spock in the upcoming JJ Abrams Star Trek revamp. Shatner has not officially been asked to be in the film. Nimoy’s solo question and answer session was coming to a close, and Shatner took the stage to take the metaphoric torch.
Nimoy: “How you been, Billy?”
Shatner: “I’ve been pretty good - not as good as you, of course!”
Nimoy: “Been working a lot?”
Shatner (remorsefully): “No, no - I’ve been waiting for the call. I’m hanging by the telephone waiting for the call.”
Nimoy: “I’ll call you”
Shatner: “It’s not the same as J.J.”
Shatner then went on to tell a few stories, then out of nowhere, he launched into a rant about not being cast in the film.
Shatner: “I am not in the movie OK!? Doesn’t bother me. I’m okay about this. It bothers you?”
[crowd yells 'yeah']
Shatner: “Write J.J. I don’t understand it! Listen I’m up for an Emmy for Boston Legal. I don’t know whether any of you saw the Roast on Comedy Central - that’s up for an Emmy! I’m up for two Emmys! I’m not in the movie! Is he nuts?”
[a fan yells out 'mad cow']
Shatner: “He has mad cow, exactly. Poor J.J. - wonderful director, wonderful writer - he’s got mad cow.”
Classic. I hope this somehow ends up on YouTube. I’m pretty sure that Shatner has actually been asked to be in the new film, but has been told to play it up like he hasn’t. I could be wrong.
Photo credit: lookathisbutt @ flickr.com
August 13th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
There’s only one Shatner
August 14th, 2007 at 8:03 am
He’s really fishing for the job isn’t he… Granted I think that if Nimoy is actually donning the ears once again and not just narrating, Shatner should be there as well (as the story is about the 2 of them) but why make a spectacle about it. I’m sure being picked last to play is unsettling, but hell - You’re there aren’t ya? lol
August 14th, 2007 at 9:41 am
“Only one Shatner”
That’s because if there were two Shatners and they touched… it would blow up the planet.
August 15th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Shatner needs to give it a rest. Nimoy wasnt in Generations and he had the dignity not to whine about it.
Besides if my hunches are right, Nimoy is only being cast as the older Spock to throw a bone to the older fans. With 2 crap actors already cast in main parts and not A List stars this doesnt look to good IMO. I think they should be moving forward not backward anyway.
August 17th, 2007 at 6:29 am
Nimoy wasn’t in Generations because he dropped out, hatting the crap they where making him do, and in particular because he felt Kirk shouldnt die and disliked that Shatner was going along with it. Nimoy was actually hired initially to be in Generations, they asked to direct it. He turned both down.
Its only now that Shatner regrets doing it as well, though he has made a bundle selling a book series with Kirks “returning”
I too btw think he is in it, and they are making him ham it up. Wouldn’t it be a coup for Shatner to be on screen one last time as Kirk? We know he can still look like movie era Kirk 12-13 years later.
August 18th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Well, the truth is Shatner, like most Hollywood stars, has an ego. He was even known to go through the script for,” The City on the Edge of Forever” not to learn his part, but to count the number of lines he had (citation: Harlan Ellison).
Not to mention Shatner still denies wearing a toupee, but hell, John Travolta and Ben Affleck are silent about that too, when asked.
Shatner feels he is the personification of Trek and feels jilted about not being in the movie. So it goes. Not to mention, Nimoy could have easily told JJ Abrams that he wouldn’t do it without Shatner, Yet, whoopsy-daisy Shatner left Nimoy in the crowd when Nimoy had reservations about Generations. Payback, even between old friends, can be a real bitch.