'Star Trek' Footage of New Film Released With 'The Hobbit' in Theaters (VIDEO)
"Star Trek" fans will be happy to know that director J.J. Abrams has released new footage from his next movie, "Stark Trek Into Darkness." The trailer has officially been released, but those who see "The Hobbit" in theaters will get to see nine minutes of the upcoming movie.
"Our longtime partners J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, and the Bad Robot team have really hit it out of the park," Imax Filmed Entertainment president Greg Foster told The Hollywood Reporter. "The footage is absolutely incredible."
Part of the magic of the film is that several scenes were actually filmed using Imax cameras, providing better visuals for audiences. The movie, written by Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, reunited the cast from the original 2009 reboot of the "Star Trek" series.
Fans can expect to see Chris Pine return as the young James T. Kirk, with Zachary Quinto continuing on in the role of Spock. The first film grossed over $385 million, showing just how beloved the series still is.
The original series, filmed in the 1960s, quickly found an audience and spawned a massive following. "The Original Series" as it was called led to several spin-offs, including "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Star Trek: Voyager" and a whole host of popular movies.
Stars such as William Shatner, Sir Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy and George Takei helped keep the "Star Trek" brand popular with their roles and personalities. Fans tend to have their favorite captain among the series, and, of course, George Takei has become an internet celebrity.
The franchise was so popular that the United States named a space shuttle Enterprise, after the famous "Star Trek" starship. It was retired in the 1980s and took its final flight before landing at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York. Many fought to catch a glimpse of the famous shuttle and pay their last respects.
"Star Trek Into Darkness" will release its nine minutes of footage on Dec. 14, with the release of "The Hobbit." The full-feature film will be released in May 2013.
Watch the official trailer HERE: