A sneak peek for cast and crew of the sci-fi parody Unbelievable!!!!! (yes, that’s five exclamation points) was part of a celebration for the 50th Anniversary of the debut of Star Trek, the original series. The event took place at the TCL Chinese theaters, an extension to the iconic Hollywood theater with the hand and foot prints of generations of stars. Adding to the Hollywood craziness, America’s Got Talent was taping across the walkway at the Dolby Theater, home of the Oscars.
Captain Kirk Stillwood, bears a resemblance to a certain other captain of a starship
Unbelievable!!!!! was the perfect film for Star Trek’s anniversary party because its cast includes 40 former Star Trek actors from the TV series and the movies and a puppet. The puppet, Captain Kirk Stillwood, bears a resemblance to a certain other captain of a starship.
In the film, Stillwood and three other astronauts conduct a rescue mission to the moon, but the astronauts they are sent to rescue are not who they appear to be. On returning to Earth, they find that the home planet has been taken over by Martian invaders and they must find a way to save the planet. Some days, everything goes wrong.
Unbelievable!!!!! included classic Star Trek actors such as Nichelle Nichols, Uhura from the original series, Walter Koenig, Chekov from the original series, Garret Wang, Harry Kim from Voyager, and Tim Russ, Tuvok from Voyager. The producers also reached out to behind-the-scenes talent. Gerald Fried, Emmy award winning composer, and composer for the original series contributed. The producers also recruited musician Tommy Morgan, another original series veteran.
Nichelle Nichols, Uhura from Star Trek the original series
In a statement provided by the film’s publicist, producer Angelique Fawcette, who also acts in four roles in the film, said, “We at Archangel Films worked tremendously hard on this film, and that work has been a gift. Working with the talented cast of 40 ‘Trek’ stars as well as two ‘Trek The Original Series’ iconic musical talents was an amazing experience. I hope that fans, who are used to seeing these actors in more dramatic roles, will have some fun and laughs watching the exploits of a puppet hero and dozens of their favorite stars in our slapstick parody adventure.”
The film is still in post-production, but slapstick is definitely part of the spirit of the film, as you can see from the trailer. The humor is broad. The president of the United States, played by Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, The Hateful Eight), is named Ben Dover. The president’s daughter, played by Jasmine Jessica Anthony (Commander in Chief, Ugly Betty), is Eileen Dover. My other favorite name is for a character played by actress/TV personality Anne McDaniels, named Anne Droid.
The red carpet before the film was as crazy as the film. It was a pleasure to see Nichelle Nichols, now 83 years young by my calculation, and the usually scary Michael Madsen. In speaking with KABC Los Angeles entertainment reporter George Pennacchio, Madsen said he was happy to have gotten a role in comedy. “Most people think of me as a villain,” he said. “I hope now my fans can see another side of me.”
Michael Madsen sharing his happiness at not being the bad guy for a change
After the screening, cast and fans adjourned to a nearby nightclub. At one minute to midnight, they began a countdown to September 8, and the 50th anniversary of the Star Trek television debut in 1966. People cheered and Auld Lang Syne played.
Red carpet highlights are below. If you want to find out more about Unbelievable!!!!!, you can follow the film on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
