May 8 is coming up fast...and news about all things Star Trek is breaking with equal alacrity. Below is a selection of the latest news about the film to keep you up-to-date:

Quinto Talks Trek Sequels
Canada's Tribute magazine recently interviewed Zachary Quinto, who talked about playing the new Spock, and about his role as the nasty villain in NBC's Heroes. In the interview, Quinto confirms that he is contracted for the Star Trek sequel:

Tribute: While playing Spock did you ever any similarities between him and Sylar?

Quinto: I think the only similarity that can really be drawn is the fact that both of these characters are really dealing with and working with deep-rooted internal conflicts and dualities within themselves but they come from very different points of view and they process those dualities very differently, so I think the similarities sort of ends there, but for different reasons they’re both working to keep control over aspects of themselves and sort of understand the power of the different energies within them. But you know, when I was doing the movie I feel like the embodiment of Sylar in that character was very far away from me.

Tribute: Will we get to see more of you as Spock in other Star Trek films? Are you signed to sequels if this one takes off?

Quinto: Yeah, I’m contracted for more.

Tribute: So you won’t mind putting those infamous ears back on?

Quinto: (laughs) No, the ears are cool; shaving the eyebrows is another story, ha ha. Yeah, right now for me the experience is all about this first movie and going through the process of promoting it all over the world, sharing it with people and seeing what else is generated from this experience.

Other movies will come into place when they’re meant to, when they’re able to. If that happens I’ll be excited about that as well.

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Paramount Greenlights Star Trek Sequel
First up, in what amounts to a strong show of confidence in J.J. Abrams' forthcoming Star Trek feature, which opens on May 8, Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a sequel to the film, and has hired Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof to write the screenplay.

According to the trades, the story is still in the embryonic stage, but the trio are aiming to deliver their script to Paramount by Christmas for what would likely be a summer 2011 release.

"Obviously we discussed ideas, but we are waiting to see how audiences respond next month," Kurtzman told Variety. "With a franchise rebirth, the first movie has to be about origin. But with a second, you have the opportunity to explore incredibly exciting things. We'll be ambitious about what we'll do."

Meanwhile, it seems as though Damon Lindelof, at least, understands the weight of such a move. "There’s obviously a lot of hubris involved in signing on to write a sequel of a movie that hasn’t even come out yet," he added. "But we’re so excited about the first one that we wanted to proceed."

Abrams, who directed and produced the new film, is on board to produce the follow-up alongside his Bad Robot partner Bryan Burk. No decision has been made yet on whether Abrams will direct the sequel.

Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof will also receive producing credit on the sequel.

Is Paramount being overconfident?  Let us know what you think.

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New Collector Card Images
TrekMovie got an advanced look at a set of the Star Trek movie collector’s cards coming from Rittenhouse in May. The set includes several new images not seen in any trailer or previous image release. Check out an example below, and head on over to TrekMovie using the preceding link to check out the rest.




New Star Trek Film Synopsis
The official Star Trek movie site has been updated with a new synopsis for the film, as follows:

The greatest adventure of all time begins with "Star Trek," the incredible story of a young crew’s maiden voyage onboard the most advanced starship ever created, the U.S.S. Enterprise. On a journey filled with action, comedy, and cosmic peril, the new recruits must find a way to stop an evil being whose mission of vengeance threatens all of mankind.

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk (Chris Pine), is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock (Zachary Quinto), was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before!



No TNG Cameos + Use of Alexander Courage Music
In an interview with MTV, Star Trek producer Damon Lindelof clarifies once and for all that The Next Generation cameos are only in the 'Countdown' comic books that precede the Star Trek movie. "We do not want to mislead the public into thinking they’ll see next gen cameos," Lindelof said.

Lindelof also confirmed that Alexander ("Sandy") Courage's classic theme from the original series would be included in the film, noting the following: "Where we use it in the film it works, I would say it is used very specifically and at exactly the right time."

While we haven't yet heard the overture for the new film, one would hope composer Michael Giacchino inserts the classic theme both in the opening as well as in beats that dramatically call for it.



Star Trek XI - TV Spot 4
A new kid-oriented trailer for Star Trek is currently running with Monsters vs. Aliens. You can check out the remixed trailer below, which adds a couple of interesting new scenes in the final half...





New Star Trek Posters
A series of new Star Trek posters have surfaced around the web over the past week, five of them international and one from the U.S.

Below is the entire collection. We're partial to the Australian one ourselves!