Casting Star Trek: Chris Pine As Captain Kirk And Eric Bana As Villain

I was talking last night to a group of friends about how we all really want JJ Abrams' Star Trek to be good but with the casting announcements that have been made so far, I'm starting to get a bit worried. What happened to the days when Matt Damon was rumored to be playing Captain Kirk? I'm not saying that these aren't capable actors, they just aren't the level of talent and names that I think everyone was expecting.

So today's Star Trek casting news revolves around a new villain named Nero, who is being played by Eric Bana. And other reports have Chris Pine (Just My Luck, Smokin' Aces) is "in talks" to star as Captain Kirk. But apparent there are some scheduling conflicts that might not make this a sure thing. But honestly, what else does Chris Pine have going for him? The answer is Joe Carnahan's White Jazz. Star Trek is certainly the higher profile film of the two, but White Jazz has the potential for critical acclaim. So what will Pine do?

Director Joe Carnahan has commented on the situation on his blog:

I will neither confirm nor deny that statement.

I'll just say that it would be a pleasure to reunite with Pine on WJ and go out and kill that Junior role. It's really the second lead in the film and the one that requires the biggest corkscrew to an actor's performance.  It's a helluva hill to summit but Pine has true, natural, unforced ability and gifts.

We'll see how it all shakes out...

Am I the only one that is disappointed that the guy who potentially could be playing Captain f'n Kirk's biggest role to date was in a crappy Lindsay Lohan movie? How did we go from Matt Damon to the guy from Just My Luck?

We're still missing Bones, Scotty, and Sulu, and I'm sure we'll hear some names attached to those roles in the coming weeks as production ramps up.

credit: Hollywood Reporter