There are few franchises that garner the fan support quite like Star Trek. Trekkies, or Trekkers to some, are a loyal group of fans who have embraced the franchise in it’s many incarnations. Most of the stars of the shows and movies become fixtures at Star Trek conventions, but never before have the five television Captains appeared together onstage at a convention.

Well according to a Reuters report that is all about to change in London:

Organizers for “Destination Star Trek London” said on Monday that their fan convention would be the first official “Star Trek” live event in the UK for 10 years.

To mark the occasion, actors William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Avery Brooks (Commander Sisko), Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway) and Scott Bakula (Captain Archer), who have commanded operations in each of their respective series based on the iconic TV franchise that began in 1966, will appear on stage together.

Recently William Shatner wrote and directed a documentary called The Captains, where he tracked down and interviewed each of the Trek captains. If the gathering in London is half as intriguing as that was this will be a tremendous experience. There is a really compelling allure to the idea of these iconic actors coming together to discuss the roles that came to define most of them (Bakula being the notable exception, he will always be Dr. Sam Beckett first).

Hopefully this event will be recorded and made available for those of us who can’t make it to London for this rare occasion. If for no other reason than to see what that kooky Avery Brooks will do live on stage.

We may have the entirety of the original Star Trek series on Blu-Ray and in HD online, but for the first time ever, we’re getting Pricard and his entire crew in glorious 1080p with the release of Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level on Blu-Ray for the very first time.

It may not be the entire series, but it’s certainly a start to hold us over until it gets a full release next year. What exactly took so long? Well apparently the folks who boldly brought us where no man has been before, they didn’t think to preserve the original footage on film. Here are the details from the press release:

Transferring STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® to high-definition presented numerous challenges – The series was originally shot on film and then transferred to videotape, which was used to edit episodes together.

In order to create true HD masters, CBS is going back to the original uncut film negative – all 25,000 plus film reels of it – and cutting the episodes together exactly the way they originally aired. The visual effects were all shot on film and will be painstakingly recompositioned, not upconverted from videotape.

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The upcoming War of the Worlds game from Other Ocean Interactive and Paramount Digital just got even more interesting. Sure, it seems like a fun game where you run around and participate in the events taking place during a 1950′s invasion of London by aliens bent on destruction.

But now the game will feature the voice of non-other than Patrick Stewart. That’s sure to elevate things considerably. Here’s all the details from the official press release:

Known to millions for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the popular TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as his performance as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise, Stewart has enjoyed tremendous success over his decades-long film career including several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. However, providing narration for The War of the Worlds is an experience that hearkens back to Stewart’s childhood.

“As a young boy, I remember watching the The War of the Worlds so many times I was quoting the lines,” said Stewart. “The alien invasion both terrified and fascinated me and the movie has stuck with me since then. Now, being part of this project will provide a new way for gamers around the world to experience a fresh new take on a classic.”

The War of the Worlds is a dark and breathtaking new vision inspired by the classic H.G. Wells novel, retold as a single player, 2D action-adventure. The gameplay narrative parallels the timeline and events from the 1953 movie adaptation, but introduces a new story arc, characters, locations, and sub-plots.

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Not to say that Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming prequel, X-Men: First Class won’t be a fine piece of cinema, but we’ve been burned before. As we all remember, the gigantic mess that was X-Men: The Last Stand was enough to leave a bad taste in the mouths of many fanboys across the globe.

Fox and Vaughn are hoping to erase that film from our minds, however, as they’re forcing us to remember when the film franchise was good and pure with moments of the original 2001 film.

In these new posters, we get a glimpse of the young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) with a perfectly placed reflection showing the men we remember from the film, namely Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart. A bit on the nose, but it works.

Check out the posters in full size after the jump and catch X-Men: First Class in theaters on June 3rd.

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Who wouldn’t want to see a movie starring the dream cast of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine and Maggie Smith, with cameos by Ozzy Osbourne, Dolly Parton, Patrick Stewart and Hulk Hogan? They had me at James McAvoy.

Throw in some Shakespeare source material and music by Elton John, and one would think we were set. But Gnomeo and Juliet does the seeming impossible—takes all of these phenomenal elements and churns out a movie that’s only sporadically entertaining and completely forgettable. Unlike its durable garden decoration characters, this movie will wash out of your brain with the first drizzle.

Gnomeo and Juliet’s first and biggest problem is its lack of original, engaging characters. Gnomeo, Gnomeo, wherefore art thou, Gnomeo? Who knows, but he’s just your standard love-stricken youth determined to prove himself to the world and win his girl, while Juliet is your standard spunky heroine who’s trapped in a narrow female role but has the ninja skills to fight out.

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Last night may have been the world premiere of Robot Chicken’s third Star Wars special, but the stormtrooper jokes and Ewok references are far from over, as the third installment of the Family Guy Star Wars specials hits DVD and Blu-Ray. Ready for the best news of all? We’re giving a copy away!

Following the trend, this film is a direct spoof of Return of the Jedi, titled It’s A Trap!. Expect some amazing cameos from genre actors like Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Carrie Fisher, and a few more surprises we won’t even spoil.

How do you win a copy? It’s easy! Just follow @theflickcast on twitter, tweet out that you want a copy of It’s a Trap on DVD, and answer the following trivia question correctly.

Who does the voice of the Rancor in “It’s A Trap”?

•    Jon Stewart
•    Rush Limbaugh
•    Bill Mahr
•    Jay Leno

Being in the movie news game usually makes it easy for us to know about all the new and upcoming projects. It’s our job. Every so often, however, a film sneaks by and makes everyone in the office do a double take. The film in question this time is Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage.

There were a few posters for the film surfacing last week at Comic-Con, but nobody knew much about the project — until now. The first trailer has hit the net, and the film looks to be a tribute to classic Ray Harryhausen films with actual use of stop motion animation.

Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage comes from TV sci-fi director David Winning and from the plot synopsis, this project looks to be quite an adventure. “When the Sultan’s first born is taken by an evil sorcerer, Sinbad is tasked with traveling to a desert of magic and creatures to save her.”

Not enough for you? Did we mention Patrick Stewart is narrating the film as Sinbad? That alone should be reason enough to check out the trailer after the jump.

Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage is set to hit theaters on January 1, 2011. Until then, check out the trailer after the jump.

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For those Family Guy fans who have been impatiently waiting for the next installment of their Star Wars parody series, you need wait no longer. Seth McFarlane and crew have taken on the last film of the original series,  Return of the Jedi.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced that the new film, Family Guy: It’s a Trap! will be available right in time for Christmas. It will be available in both Blu-ray and DVD formats. Those lucky enough to get into the Comic-Con panel received a 10 minute preview of the new spoof and from various reports it doesn’t disappoint. The rest of us will unfortunately have to wait  until December to get a glimpse.

The press release is touting an all-star array of guest stars including Adam West and Carrie Fisher. We also have the privilege of having Patrick Stewart and Michael Dorn reprise their Star Trek roles once again. For those who have not purchased the previous two films, it was also announced  that they will be releasing a triple-pack of all three Star Wars spoofs.

If you are willing to wait, there is a chance that they will follow suit of their last release, Family Guy: Something Something Something Darkside, and utilize Family Guy: It’s a Trap! as next season’s finale. There is no report about what special features will be available or whether there will be any other special editions released concurrently.

Look for Family Guy: It’s a Trap! on December 21st when it hits stores nationwide. For more Family Guy news keep it here at The Flickcast.

Promptly following it’s premier at their Comic-con panel, Disney’s Tron: Legacy new trailer has hit the web. For those of you looking for some glowing spandex action, this trailer does not disappoint. With flying L.E.D. motorcycles and L.E.D. covered razor Frisbees, we can expect lots of colorful action, especially in 3D.

It also features the first glimpse of the CGI versions of a young Jeff Bridges’ Flynn. Unfortunately, the technology has not improved much since it was used with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Sir Ian McKellan’s Magneto in X-Men: The Last Stand four years ago. It appears that instead of Flynn, we are watching the characters interact with the Tom Hanks character from Polar Express.

Tron: Legacy stars Oscar Winner Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Garrett Hedlund (Eragon) and Olivia Wilde (Year One). Rookie director Joseph Kosinski has brought to life the imaginative script of co-writers Richard Jefferies and Adam Horowitz. You may recognize Adam Horowitz’s name from his days as a co-producer and writer on the hit TV show Lost.

With Tron: Legacy being written by someone so heavily involved in Lost, do you think we can expect a similarly mind boggling story line from Tron:Legacy?

Tron: Legacy will be hitting theaters December 17th, but until then keep it here for all your Tron: Legacy news and check out the trailer after the break.

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As with most weeks, this week brings a crop of new movies and TV programs on Blu-ray and DVD. Among the ones we’re interested in this week are two Doctor Who TV Movies, X-Men, Volume Five, the Blu-ray release of NINE and the Blu-ray debut of Saving Private Ryan (pictured above with Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg and Edward Burns)

Movies

Doctor Zhivago Anniversary Edition ~ Omar Sharif, Julia Christie (Blu-ray)

Fallen ~ Paul Wesley, Tom Skerritt, Bryan Cranston (Blu-ray and DVD)

Leap Year ~ Amy Adams, Matthew Goode (Blu-ray and DVD)

Nine ~ Daniel Day-Lewis (Blu-ray and DVD)

No Time for Sergeants ~ Andy Griffith, Don Knotts (DVD)

Saving Private Ryan ~ Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Edward Burns (Blu-ray and DVD)

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Director Bryan Singer, not content to remake and/or reboot one potential franchise in Battlestar Galactica, is now taking on yet another reboot project. This time around, he’s set his sights on John Boorman’s excellent 1981 film Excalibur, which introduced actors such as Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart and Ciaran Hinds.

According to the report, Singer and Warner Bros. have closed a deal to remake the film with Singer producing and developing the picture as a potential directing vehicle. Inspired by Sir Thomas Malory’s 15th century work, and scripted by Rospo Pallenberg and Boorman, the original Excalibur “explores the myth of King Arthur, complete with the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin the wizard and the quest for the Holy Grail to save Arthur’s life.” Singer hasn’t set a writer yet for the project.

For many years I’ve been wondering why nobody ever took a fresh look at this movie and story. Its themes are timeless and it sports lots of great sword fighting, magic and romance so it should provide more than enough material for a brand new film — or even a franchise. Really, I would much prefer Singer do this film instead on taking on Battlestar Galactica. Or, he could do Logan’s Run or even X-Men: First Class, which he’s been supposedly interested in based on his reaction to a script by Josh Schwartz. Any of those would be fine Bryan — just keep yer mits off of BSG.

It looks like the “gracious and classy actor award” is going to Patrick Stewart and not William Shatner — at least according to a post over at IMDB. After Shatner’s much publicized disappointment with being left out of J.J. Abrams highly successful Star Trek reboot, Stewart’s delight with the film was a welcome display of his class and style.  Then again, that’s why we love Patrick Stewart and sometimes want to kick Shatner’s Denny Crane in his legal briefs, right?

Star Trek: The Next Generation star Stewart says he “loved” the much anticipated Star Trek movie, but says  “It was a very odd experience to be in the cinema watching a Star Trek movie that I wasn’t in. With the exception of Leonard Nimoy, I didn’t know any of the cast but it’s still Star Trek. I got a great kick out of it.”

He even had kind words for newcomer Chris Pine, who plays a young Captain Kirk, calling him “brilliant, charming, funny and utterly delightful.”  Such a British gentleman, that Jean-Luc. The J.J. Abrams film is a reboot of the Start Trek films and of course, the iconic 1960’s television series. With spinoffs like Stewart’s Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and four Next Gen films, the Star Trek franchise has fans of all ages, from my father to my six-year-old nephew, and most of the geeks in between.