tindle@ms.uky.edu (Ken Tindle) (05/29/90)
I've just come back from a con that had George Takei as guest speaker. Some things were old news, others were more surprising. * He said that ST V lost 30 million, and this is giving Paramount pause. * He said Shatner will definitely not direct a ST VI, if one is ever made. His contract option specifies that Five must have done X dollars of business for Shatner to get the next one to direct, and this did not happen. He suggests Nicholas Meyer, and says if someone from the cast directs, it should be Nimoy. The audience applauded when he told them Shatner was out. * He also said that the salary Shatner and Nimoy would get from ST VI would be about the same as the entire budget for ST II TWOK. (!) * And, he said all the original cast was signed via option clause for a ST VI, so they all have to come back if Paramount so chooses to pay them. * He agreed that ST V was poor, without reserve. He also said that Paramount has, at this time, zero activity going on that would result in a ST VI. And appealed to the audience that they should write Frank Mancuso at Paramount to express interest in a ST VI, and point out that interest is still there, IF the mistakes of V are not repeated. Fan letters forced an axing of the "Academy" idea, it's officially history. * He told us that there was a scene he shot in which Sulu was a captain in ST III, but this was cut out. He was not overjoyed at that decision, but although he was clearly disappointed, he wasn't bitter either. George Takei is a *good* guest- see him if you get a chance. --------------------------\ /----------------------------------------------- INTERNET:tindle@ms.uky.edu | "Could you please continue the petty bickering? BITNET: tindle@ukma.bitnet | I find it most intriguing." --- Data, Ken Tindle - Lexington, KY | Star Trek, The Next Generation, "Haven" --------------------------/ \----------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edited by Jim Griffith - the official scapegoat of rec.arts.startrek.info E-mail submissions to trek-info@scam.berkeley.edu or ...!ucbvax!scam!trek-info