J.J. Abrams Offers New Details For STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Star Trek Into Darkness director J.J. Abrams talks in detail about the highly anticipated sequel, offering new info concerning its plot and themes. He also comments on the use of his infamous lens flares in post-converted 3D.

By PaulRom - Dec 22, 2012 02:12 PM EST

Filed Under: Star Trek

Speaking with Japanese site GyaO! (many thanks to Trek Movie for the transcription), J.J. Abrams offers a surprising amount of new details concerning the plot and themes for his highly anticipated sequel Star Trek Into Darkness, dropping some mild spoilers for the film. He says that you don't have to see the 2009 Trek film to understand this one, and he also comments on the villainous John Harrison's (Benedict Cumerbatch) role in the movie as well as the attacks he makes before Capt. Kirk and his crew pursue him. Additionally, he re-iterates that, despite being a darker film than its predecessor, Into Darkness is ultimately about hope, love, etc.

"So this movie doesn’t require you have seen the first movie," says Abrams. "The characters are a group of people who have recently come together and find themselves up against this incredibly terrifying force. His name is John Harrison and he is sort of an average – that is what makes him so scary – he is just an average guy who works in an organization called Starfleet, and he turns against the group because he has got this back-story and this kind of amazing secret agenda. After two very violent attacks, one in London and one in the US, our characters have to go after this guy and apprehend him. And it is a far more complicated and difficult thing then they ever anticipated. "Into Darkness" is very much about how intense it gets and really what they are up against.

"I love movies that are big and unabashedly a huge fan of big pop mass appeal movies. I do love that. I love being in a theater packed with people and everyone gasping at the same time and having that communal experience. I don’t like going to the movies to feel bad. I don’t like going to the movies to feel depressed and feel diminished. The reason you go to the movies is to feel bigger and stronger and happier. So this is a movie that they certainly go ‘Into Darkness,’ but I would be the wrong director if it was about characters staying there. This is very much a movie about hope, about love, about romance, and about facing something that is truly terrifying and finding a way through the connection of your family and surviving and being stronger afterwards."

Abrams also discusses working with 3D for the first time, again re-iterating prior comments on the post-conversion process and filming in IMAX. "I had never done anything in 3D and frankly it was a format that scared me a little bit because I really loved the sort of purity of the 2D, but I have to say – especially because we filmed in IMAX – doing a conversion to 3D with some new techniques with people who have done amazing conversion work on movies like Titanic, has actually opened up some doors to some really creative and really fun moments. So I am becoming a little bit of a convert to it." Additionally, he defends his use of lens flares and comments on how it works in the conversion. "When we made the first Star Trek we never added lens flares, it was always ‘in camera.’ And I do love them and I know I get beaten up some times because of it. But it actually works pretty well in conversion."

Star Trek Into Darkness stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Alice Eve and Anton Yelchin. The film is set to hit theaters May 17th, 2013.

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21 Comments

6of13 - 12/22/2012, 3:09 PM

Harrison is just an average guy. Having some kind of secret agenda sounds like the whole thing is years in the planning and implementing.

Honestly, I don't mind the lens flares.

LP4 - 12/22/2012, 3:10 PM

@6of13- Yeah i actually like the lens flares lol. Gives the films a more futuristic and scifi look.

John Harrison will be epic.

Maximillion - 12/22/2012, 3:26 PM

Bring on the lens flares!!! Looking forward to seeing this :)

BillyBatson1000 - 12/22/2012, 3:30 PM

Really, really looking forward to this. ;)

Reasonnnn - 12/22/2012, 3:36 PM

I AM SHER-LOCKED.

datNAMEtho - 12/22/2012, 3:41 PM

IMAX IMAX IMAX IMAX IMAX!!!!!!!!!!

Couldn't be happier.

FirstAvenger - 12/22/2012, 4:33 PM

This is gonna be good!

PeterParker1991 - 12/22/2012, 5:27 PM

Saw the trailer when I went to see the Hobbit Pt. 1: OMG

95 - 12/22/2012, 6:12 PM

The 70mm IMAX and 3D makes this more of an event for me. Even the Into Darkness title makes this out to be a thrill ride. And of course, I like movies that put focus on a destructive villain with powerful motives.

gaikinger - 12/22/2012, 7:18 PM

Like the flares

ComixBookGuy - 12/22/2012, 8:11 PM

I was lucky enough to watch the 9 minute preview of Star Trek Into Darkness. J.J. Abrams delivers another great entry in the Star Trek franchise. I was excited watching every minute of it.

l0rdleg0las - 12/22/2012, 9:03 PM

As long as Urban has a bigger part in this and they drop the love triangle bit I will be stoked

CoolantTech - 12/22/2012, 9:24 PM

looking foward to it, wonder what the budget is gonna be, hopfully within the 200mil range

mgeoff88 - 12/22/2012, 9:26 PM

That's a relief. Going by the trailer and movie title itself, I thought J.J. Abrams was going to try and make this darker than the first movie.

Joe6Pack74 - 12/22/2012, 11:50 PM

So is basically based on the United Nations Agenda 21.

PaulRom - 12/23/2012, 5:22 AM

I think the budget is $185M. Abrams hates it when movies go $250M or more in their budgets.

PaulRom - 12/23/2012, 5:26 AM

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a399999/jj-abrams-movie-budgets-are-preposterous-and-embarrassing.html

Maximus101 - 12/23/2012, 7:49 AM

This movie will be amazing

Webhead007 - 12/23/2012, 9:44 AM

I having a feeling Spock won't make it.

CaptainSpain - 12/23/2012, 10:47 AM

Seriously, Abrams is the man who turned ST into GIJOE, loud and silly action...
He has destroyed Roddenberry dream.
In fact, he is the AntiRoddenberry...This is only ST in name.

Vete y no vuelvas, Abrams.

J.J. Abrams Offers New Details For STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Star Trek Into Darkness director J.J. Abrams talks in detail about the highly anticipated sequel, offering new info concerning its plot and themes. He also comments on the use of his infamous lens flares in post-converted 3D.

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