![William Shatner talks about J.J. Abrams directing both "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" films.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/ea/e2/eae2feac667d6b51588885c63d72f733.jpg?itok=aKoGvJOK "William Shatner talks about J.J. Abrams directing both "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" films.")
William Shatner has never been one to shy away from offering an opinion, especially when it comes to “Star Trek.’ So it should come as no surprise that, in a Feb. 13 interview with Movie Fanatic, Shatner directed some of his characteristically blunt comments at director J.J. Abrams.
Abrams, who has helmed both “Star Trek” and “Star Trek Into Darkness,” has just signed on to direct “Star Wars: Episode VII,” the first film in Disney’s planned trilogy.
When asked for his opinion about Abrams stepping behind the camera for that “other” major sci-fi property, Shatner didn’t hold back.
“He's being a pig,” Shatner told Movie Fanatic. “He's collecting the two franchises and holding them close to his vest. He's probably the most talented director of that ilk we have, but he's gone too far this time.”
Abrams’ schedule is certainly busy. Sci-fi fans might even see him as corning the big-name franchise market or running the risk of the “homogenization of sci-fi,” as the Movie Fanatic interviewer suggested in posing the question to Shatner.
That set-up practically guaranteed a blunt statement from the actor, especially in light of Shatner’s absence from Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek” reboot.
Still, Shatner’s words might not be so much confrontational as provocative. And it’s very much within the actor’s public persona. Shatner might even be humorously lobbying for a role in “Star Wars: Episode VII.”
In the brief Movie Fanatic interview, Shatner added:
“I think of [Abrams] as a buddy of mine. I've taken him out for sushi. I think it's time for J.J. and I to have another sushi and let me put him straight about two of the largest franchises – and not employing me in either one of them is just foolhardy.”
"Star Trek Into Darkness" opens May 17. "Star Wars: Episode VII" is expected to open summer 2015.
So what do “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” fans think? Is there room for Captain James T. Kirk in the “Star Wars” universe?
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