Now then… there’s another interesting bit of news today for Trek fans. Our friends behind Star Trek: Axanar have just completed a successful Kickstarter to crowd-fund the production of the 90-minute dramatic film that will accompany the 20-minute Prelude to Axanar documentary they just completed. The Kickstarter ended on Sunday after raising a whopping $638,471 from 8,548 fans and supporters, which is the majority of what they need to produce the film. Pre-production is already under way, with filming tentatively set to happen in early 2015. The average donation was $75 which, by no coincidence, is exactly the amount needed to receive a copy of the film on Blu-ray when it’s complete as a backer perk. Pretty impressive. Over $150,000 was raised in just the last 48 hours of the campaign, following glowing endorsements from Original Series star George Takei and science fiction author David Brin. As I noted last week, I’ve read the latest draft of the script, and I can’t wait to see the final film. It’s pure, classic Trek and a great story to boot. Fans have a great deal to look forward to when the film is released online next year. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Finally this morning, we would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the passing of British film legend Lord Richard Attenborough, who died on Sunday at the age of 90. Attenborough began his career as a stage and film actor, which saw him appear on screen in such classics as The Great Escape, The Flight of the Phoenix, Doctor Doolittle, The Sand Pebbles, and Jurassic Park. He later became an acclaimed director, helming such films as A Bridge too Far, Gandhi (for which he won a Best Director Oscar – the film also won Best Picture), A Chorus Line, Magic, Cry Freedom, Chaplin, and In Love and War. Attenborough was Knighted by the Queen in 1976. You can read more here at The New York Times.
All right, that’s enough for now. Stay tuned…
- Bill Hunt
