Merrick here...
Geek Favorite Peter Weller - the original RoboCop and the one and only Buckaroo Banzai - has joined the cast of Abrams' STAR TREK sequel. This per Variety.
Weller previously appeared in STAR TREK, specifically ENTERPRISE, the most recent television iteration of that franchise. His role in the new film will, without a doubt, NOT be a reprise of that part. While finishing his PhD in Italian Renaissance Art History, Weller's been keeping busy with appearance on series like DEXTER and 24.
As with Alice Eve (who we learned would be joining the cast last week) and Benecio Del Toro, we have no concrete information at this time regarding what part Weller will be playing in the new picture. I can see him as a badass Starfleet Captain ala Bruce Greenwood in the 2009 movie, or a Klingon, or scientist of some sort, or...or...
Weller is a great and smart actor who can do nearly anything, so who knows? Can't wait.
Below is a scene from THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI: ACROSS THE 8th DIMENSION. If my understanding is correct, and I believe that it is, this is one of the few sequences in the film shot by BLADE RUNNER's Jordan Conrenweth before The Powers That Be (not director W.D. Richter) decided that a different aesthetic for the film was required, and swapped out cinematographers. To, regrettably, results that were far less visually sophisticated.
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