It was heavily rumored last month that STAR TREK BEYOND would be the title of the third Trek movie with the newer cast, and while Paramount Pictures hasn't officially come out and announced it, Simon Pegg refers to it in his latest blog post. For those not in the know, Pegg runs his own blog and recently he called out certain fantasy/sci-fi films that "dumb down" things for audiences. When some sites referenced this, he posted a reply that's . . . many paragraphs. It's all really interesting and good stuff (of which you can check out here), but I pulled some particularly juicy stuff for you below.
Simon Pegg talking discussing examples of great recent genre filmsy:
In the last two weeks, I have seen two brilliant exponents of the genre. Ex Machina and Mad Max: Fury Road, both of which had my head spinning in different and wonderful ways and are both very grown up films (although Max has a youthful exuberance which is nothing’s short of joyous, thanks George Miller, 70) I’ve yet to see Tomorrowland but with Brad Bird at the helm, it cannot be anything but a hugely entertaining think piece.
I guess what I meant was, the more spectacle becomes the driving creative priority, the less thoughtful or challenging the films can become. The spectacle of Mad Max is underpinned not only multiple layers of plot and character but also by an almost lost cinematic sense of ‘how did they do that?’ The best thing art can do is make you think, make you re-evaluate the opinions you thought were yours. It’s interesting to see how a cerebral film maker like Christopher Nolan, took on Batman and made it something more adult, more challenging, chasing Frank Miller’s peerless Dark Knight into a slightly less murky world of questionable morality and violence. But even these films are ultimately driven by market forces and somebody somewhere will want to soften the edges, so that toys and lunch boxes can be sold. In that respect, Bruce Wayne’s fascistic vigilantism was never really held to account, however interesting Nolan doubtless found that idea. Did he have an abiding love of Batman or was it a means of making his kind of movie on the mainstream stage?
Regarding Pegg questioning the state of current fantasy:
Sometimes it’s good to look at the state of the union and make sure we’re getting the best we can get. On one hand it’s a wonderful thing, having what used to be fringe concerns, suddenly ruling the mainstream but at the same time, these concerns have also been monetised and marketed and the things that made them precious to us, aren’t always the primary concern (right, Star Trek OST fans?)
Also, it’s good to ask why we like this stuff, what makes it so alluring, so discussed, so sacred. Do we channel our passion and indignation into ephemera, rather than reality? Not just science fiction and fantasy but gossip and talent shows and nostalgia and people’s arses. Is it right? Is it dangerous? Something to discuss over a game of 3D chess, perhaps.
Speaking of which I better climb aboard the old hypocropter and fly back to writing Star Trek Beyond.
In short:
- I love Science Fiction and fantasy and do not think it’s all childish.
- I do not think it is all generated by dominant forces as a direct means of control…much.
- I am still a nerd and proud.
Love and rockets, Simon
p.s. Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan are also Stormtroopers in The Force Awakens.
I love Pegg's knock against the rumor regarding Daniel Craig playing a stormtrooper! Jokes aside, the man is obviously super passionate about the genre and is looking to do right by fans. I know STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS has its admirers, but there are some gaps in logic within that movie that I just can't look past (not to mention the Khan rehashing towards the end). I'm excited to see that Pegg is looking not to repeat what J.J. Abrams has already done but rather push the next film into a direction that great science-fiction is capable of. I certainly hope that's the case.
STAR TREK BEYOND is scheduled to hit theaters on July 8, 2016.