Shatner Dismisses Feud Over Star Trek Movie

From IMDB.com:

"Former Captain Kirk star William Shatner has dismissed rumours of a feud with the cast of the new Star Trek movie, insisting there's no bad blood. The veteran star was upset when director J.J. Abrams refused to include him in the new movie, choosing instead to recast the roles made famous by Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. But Shatner is adamant any tension was a joke, and wishes his successor as Kirk - actor Chris Pine - the best of luck. The actor tells U.S. TV show Extra, 'I wish them all the best. I certainly hope it's a great success.' And he has a special message for Pine: 'Chris, good luck... and hold your breath. It's going to be a whirlwind.' Shatner insists he hasn't ruled out one day returning to the franchise: 'If the movie is successful and they make another one, never say never as James Bond... I loved 'Star Trek' in all its many phases. I dearly would love to be a part of it.'"

If you want visual proof, check this out: http://trekmovie.com/2009/04/25/jj-abrams-cast-attend-shatner-charity-event-w-first-meeting-of-the-kirks-bill-chris/

William Shatner's so famous, he can get Willie Nelson to play for him. I wonder if he performed a spoken word version of "On the Road Again" - "On. The. Road.... AGAIN. Just. Can't. Wait...TO GET ON...THAT ROAD...AGAIN!"

UPDATE:

From IMDB.com:

"William Shatner claims that the producers of the upcoming Star Trek movie are so determined to keep the plot under wraps that even his friend Leonard Nimoy, who, unlike Shatner, has a cameo role in the movie, won't tell him what it's about. In an interview with the syndicated The Insider TV gossip show, Shatner said, '[He] is maybe my dearest friend, so I'm so happy for him -- but he wouldn't tell me what the plot was'. About not being asked to participate in the film, the former Captain James T. Kirk said, 'It's peculiar, and I'm sad about it, but that's the way they did it.' Nevertheless, Shatner indicated that he is anxious to see whether the movie can achieve success given its reported $150-160-million budget. He noted that the earlier Star Trek movies 'peaked out at anywhere between $80-100 million in box office grosses. ... so they've got to make four times that' to become profitable, he said."

He's, of course, (purposefully?) forgetting his own Star Trek movie, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier that grossed... oh, let's see... this is from Wikipedia:
"The Final Frontier grossed $52,210,049 in the U.S. and around $70,000,000 worldwide against a $27,800,000 budget. Though profitable, the film was considered a financial disappointment by many. It made only around half what [Star Trek IV:] The Voyage Home had made, and it quickly dropped off the box office charts after its solid $17,375,648 opening weekend. It sold the fewest tickets of any Star Trek film up until Star Trek Nemesis thirteen years later, in 2002."

BTW, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - best Star Trek film I've seen before Star Trek.