Peggy is Scotty

Sometimes you read things and have to make a double take and then read the whole thing again – then you still have no idea what its all about and need to go and find somewhere else on the web saying the same thing.

Thats just happened to me – apparently Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz star Simon Pegg, is to play Scotty in the new Star Trek film set to start filming next month and be released on Christmas Day 2008 – huh?

I know I’ve been out of it for a while – a little pre-occupied with the exploits of Aunty Beeb but surely the announcement of a new Star Trek movie wouldn’t pass me buy completely? Well it looks like it has.

Star Trek 11 is set to be produced by JJ Abrams and was announced in April 2006 – god I’m well out of it when it comes to American Sci-Fi!

It looks like its going to be based on the ‘original’ Star Trek from the 60s and not the Next Generation as it features Kirk, Spock, Bones and abviously Scotty.

Kirk isn’t confirmed but the latest rumour has Chris Pine playing the legendary Starfleet Captain. Um… Chris who? Apparently he has something to do with Lynsey Lohan – or at least one of her films which doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.

Other casting news will see two actors playing Spock – the real Spock, Leonard Nimoy will play an older version of the Vulcan and the brilliant Zachary Quinto, Sylar in Heroes, will play the younger Spock.

I’m excited and pretty impressed that the producers, with the promise of a budget in excess of $100 million have resisted the urge to go for a big name like Matt Damon for the main role.

The original Star Trek didn’t go for the big names (probably because it couldn’t afford them) but instead went with actors that ‘fit’ the part – and now this seems to be doing the same thing.

Although I’m not 100% sure about Pegg as Scotty – surely it should got to a Scot? What about David Tennant or even the increasingly brilliant James McAvoy – he could do the straight role but add elements of comic tragedy as well. I imagine Pegg would be the opposite – Comic drama with elements of tragedy – but I might be wrong.

More on Chris Pine from the Guardian.