Being somebody like J.J. Abrams sure is stressful.  He's in the middle of producing the upcoming science fiction series Fringe, and he's also working on his film version of Star Trek.  While he can sit back on the former, which is set for a September 9 premiere, he still has to work a lot on the latter—and, thankfully, he's getting there.

TrekMovie.com reports that Abrams has screened the first cut for Star Trek to executives at Paramount Pictures.  The film, which acts as a prequel to the original television series which aired in the 1960s, stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg and Leonard Nimoy.  Sources from within the studio say the screening was successful, with an unidentified studio veteran thinking the first cut was “very impressive.”  Another thought it was “far beyond expectations”—and these expectations are already high, as the film is slated for a summer 2009 release.

It is also reported that Abrams is keen on sticking to his film's original production schedule.  This means he has to deal with a lot more work, especially on the film's visual effects, which are reportedly moving forward, albeit sluggishly.  He is also said to be working on the film's trailer, which is only waiting for the effects to be put in. It is expected to be screened later this year.

Abrams is also keen to release a prequel comic to his Star Trek film.  He will be collaborating with Roberto Orci, who also co-wrote Fringe with him.  The comic is expected to introduce the new set of Federation heroes and Romulan opponents before the film's release.

Abrams is obviously giving his film project the same treatment for Fringe, which is also getting a prequel comic to establish some facts before the series premiere.  Fox has also released new clips from the series on YouTube.  Clearly, if you're J.J. Abrams, you'd need a lot more than time to juggle everything you're working on.


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Sources: TrekMovie.com, Wired, io9
(Image courtesy of TV Guide)