Shatner On Comics And 'Star Trek XI'

Although acting and new projects keep him busy, William Shatner feels that he could have been included in Star Trek XI.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Shatner is happy that his friend Leonard Nimoy is part of Star Trek XI, but he's bitter at his own exclusion from Star Trek XI. "There is no need for me to know anything [about 'Star Trek XI'] because I'm not a part of it," said Shatner. "They will have an extraordinary campaign when it comes about, and my dear friend Leonard will be part of that and I would have loved to have been there with him. I am very happy for Leonard, my good friend, though."

When reminded that Captain Kirk died in Star Trek: Generations, Shatner rolled his eyes. "It's science fiction," he said. "If we’re trying to put together the DNA of a dinosaur dead for a one hundred and sixty million years, why can't scientists take a molecule that's floating around and bring back Kirk?"

Shatner admitted that saying goodbye felt odd. "It was weird for me to hand over the movie reins to Patrick Stewart in the last movie," he said. "It's strange to say goodbye. But it isn't any more strange than saying goodbye to 'Boston Legal,' which has been part of my life these past few years in an extraordinary way."

In addition to his acting, Shatner is involved in other projects. Recently, he ventured into the comic book business. Shatner will be partnering with Bluewater Productions Inc., which will publish adaptations of several of his novels, such as Man O' War and Quest for Tomorrow, both of which will be published as mini-series. TekWar and a fourth title, the latter still under wraps, will also appear in comic books in the future. According to Darren G. Davis, president of Bluewater Productions, Inc., TekWar will be more faithful to the book of the same name than the 1990s television series was.

"With all of these comics, I have final approval," said Shatner. "This is not a licensing arrangement. This will be me involved very directly throughout the process. They are going to do adaptations of my ideas and also sequels. They will be in the stores in March of 2009. I loved comics as a kid. I used to sit under the sheets with a flashlight and read 'Superman' when I was six in Montreal and now, with the comics as they are today, it's thrilling, really.

Shatner admitted to having seen the old Gold Key comics based on the original series. "Oh, they were great. They always made me look so skinny," he said. And the original Captain Kirk wishes that he could have portrayed some other famous superheroes. "I would have loved to have been in a superhero movie," he said. "Any of them. To be Superman? Or Captain Marvel? Who wouldn't love that?"

To read more, head to the article located here.

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