'Beyond' in incredible, Barco Escape three-screen panorama theaters—can you see it near you?

The pre-screening buzz is great for Star Trek Beyond, as I'd guessed, even though detailed reviews are being embargoed til the release July 21...

But here's one detail that should not be a secret: A hot new way to see Beyond and other features, soon, in only a few dozen cities around the globe: a multi-screen, panoramic theater system called Barco Escape.

I'm going to be seeing STB again in L.A. just after the Comic-Con premiere, but the wide Barco artwork below gives you the idea—over 20 minutes of the movie were specifically created for the sprawling, massively wide effect by director Justin Lin and J.J.'s Bad Robot team in full partnership with Barco. These ain't third-party add-ons!

And now there's a trailer out for the Barco Beyond:

Barco, first out in 2014 with The Maze Runner,  has also partnered with 20th-Centruy Fox and Jerry Bruckheimer, and has committed to at east three more films with the Barco touch this year—one of them big-time: The feature 6 Below will be shot entirely in Barco Escape by director Scott Waugh (Act of Valor, Need for Speed), and starring Josh Hartnett.

To me, it harks back to the old Cinerama three-camera multi-screen projection which is amazing, as we recently saw at a festival of films actually made to take advantage of it and projected that way. But THIS of course uses the latest in digital cinema on a whole new seamless level, and expands the visceral sensory experience that is hitting you from such a wide angle.  An epic space blockbuster like Star Trek on big screen is the perfect way to take advantage and showcase all that expanded cinemascope panorama!

I can't wait to try it out here at the Regal at LA LIVE downtown, but check Barco Escape's world screening link here where you can see the cities and showtimes around the world and whether you're lucky enough to have the access, too. Just check it out and get tickets at those exclusive theaters just like you normally would for a show.

Barco uses the Twitter handle @BarcoEscape and has a full website here.

And just so you can get the full Jaylah effect too:

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In case you missed it, here's the full press release announcing the deal and the technology:

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J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Barco Boldly Go Into the Future of Cinema with “Star Trek Beyond” Release in Barco Escape

Digital Cinema Powerhouse Brings Multi-Screen, Panoramic Experience To Theaters This Summer

LOS ANGELES — April 11, 2016 — Digital cinema leader Barco and Bad Robot Productions today announced “Star Trek Beyond,” one of this year’s most anticipated films, will be released in Barco’s multi-screen theatrical format Barco Escape, bringing audiences inside the action from the interstellar franchise - like never before. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot will master a special version of the film, expanding the storytelling across three screens to unveil a thrilling new movie going experience to audiences when the film, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions, releases on July 22.

“Star Trek Beyond,” the third installment of the phenomenally successful reboot, is directed by Justin Lin, and stars Idris Elba, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Zach Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin and Karl Urban. The most recent film, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” grossed more than $467 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing entry in the Star Trek franchise.

"Justin Lin’s Star Trek Beyond is an epic adventure — truly larger than life,” said producer and Bad Robot president J.J. Abrams.  “It is especially fitting, then, that we are partnering with Barco to provide an ultra wide-screen immersive experience using their unique Barco Escape format. This premium format dramatically expands the width of the viewing plane, giving filmmakers an innovative new tool with which to tell stories and audiences an enhanced new way to experience cinema."

Barco Escape will illuminate the Star Trek universe by creating key “moments” across all three screens that will exhilarate fans. Bad Robot will re-master more than 20 minutes of “Star Trek Beyond” into the new format. As part of Bad Robot’s commitment to the innovative technology, an executive from the company will also join Barco Escape’s advisory board.

“J.J. Abrams and the Star Trek franchise share in our passion for exploration and innovation, which is why we’re thrilled to lead Barco Escape’s 2016 lineup together with ‘Beyond,’” said CEO of Barco Escape, Todd Hoddick. “We are honored to have J.J. and the incredibly talented team at Bad Robot Productions as partners and look forward to sharing the power of this experience to capture the magnitude of big, bold stories like ‘Star Trek Beyond.'”

Since debuting in fall 2014 with the hit movie “The Maze Runner,” Barco has been working hand-in-hand with today’s top studios and filmmakers to create projects that offer audiences an unmatched viewing experience - only available in theaters. Director Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor,” “Need for Speed”) recently announced he is directing the first feature shot entirely for Barco Escape. The film, titled “6 Below” and starring Josh Hartnett, will be released later this year.

Barco Escape also holds a multi-year deal with 20th Century Fox and a development deal with Jerry Bruckheimer, who is also an advisory board member.  Barco is committed this year to offering at least four films in Barco Escape, which has proven to bring audiences out to the cinema with its first two theatrical releases.

The fully DCI-compliant Barco Escape technology utilizes three cinema projectors and two additional cinemascope screens, allowing filmmakers to create for a much larger canvas.  With current exhibitor partners in the United States, Europe, Mexico and China, Barco plans to expand to more than 100 Barco Escape theaters in 2016. 

About Barco

Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops networked visualization products for the Entertainment, Enterprise and Healthcare markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and APAC. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with 3,300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 1.029 billion euro in 2015.

About Bad Robot Productions

Bad Robot was formed by filmmaker J.J. Abrams in 2001. The company has produced television series such as ALIAS, LOST, FRINGE, PERSON OF INTEREST, feature films such as CLOVERFIELD, STAR TREK, SUPER 8, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, and interactive content including the mobile app ACTION MOVIE FX. Bad Robot's first foray into publishing, S., a novel conceived by Abrams and written by Doug Dorst, was a New York Times Best Seller. Bad Robot is based in Los Angeles and can be followed at twitter.com/bad_robot.

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Sulu is gay! The retcon of all retcons—or was it?

And the Trek headlines keep comin':

Now comes word from down-under Sydney, from the first true world premiere of Star Trek Beyond (sorry, gold-ticket Comic-Con San Diego, you're only the IMAX world premiere)...

...that Sulu is GAY. 

Gene and Rick and all the rest, trying to be progressive even at their limits of commercial TV in the 60s and even the 80s, always said the point to having a gay character would be that it should not be a major point. And that's apparently what writers Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, director Justin Lin and actor John Cho have done here, per this reporter:

Hikaru Sulu, played by John Cho, is shown in Star Trek Beyond as the loving father of a daughter with a same sex partner. And in typical trailblazing Trek fashion — it’s just not a big deal.

And you though Sulu's cool movie moment for Beyond would be that trailer-glimpsed nod to Demora—an alt-verse spanning fact that did not have to be the same in both timestreams, obviously, but cute and harmless fanservice by Pegg and Lin.

Who cares if they've stolen a little thunder from Bryan Fuller's onrushing new CBS All-Access Trek series, where I'm sure—knowing Bryan, and the annoying time-lag in getting an LGBTQ character finally to onscreen Trek—it is in the offing somehow.

It's an obvious nod and choice to beloved George Takei, who came out himself in 2005...but I'm sitting here realizing that it's far more than that. Don't even be limited by any post-Kelvin Prime/non-Prime distinction: his parents were the same in both universes, yes? And part from the offscreen implications of a daughter Demora, Sulu through all his appearances in TV and film was never even seen fakily paired up with a female other than in a cordial social sense. Certainly not like hot-blooded helm-mate Chekov...or infamous Kirk, pub-crawler Scotty, divorced Southern gentleman McCoy ....and even seven-year Spock. (Oh, and those Deltan pheromones do it to anybody, deleted scene or not.)
 
It's the retcon that was there all along—whether or not George had had a behind-the-scenes understanding with Gene and Co. about not portraying Sulu as outwardly heterosexual to begin with. Any of the supporting cast getting that much screen time for any character development was a miracle—and yet even Uhura got a hetero moment with her salt-vampired crewman, much less even Rand and Chapel.

Yes, THIS is much more the kind of surprise I like to keep getting about my Trek as 2016 and #FiveOhFever roll along. Stay tuned... I have a feeling there'll be more.

Including a comment soon from George....here seen with husband Brad at our The Con of Wrath shoot:

Thoughts on "Go Beyond" night—and all it conjured up

Doyle Zhang, modern Trek fan: From
Shanghai, China, fan since ST 09 but now
loves all Prime Trek, won trivia, knew Dr. Trek!

It's been a week since Paramount's Star Trek Beyond Fan Night at the lot. A lot of friends and their news sites covered it pretty thoroughly in word and pictures (see vid links below), and the second, "that's more like it" trailer has been pretty well dissected. (That Other Story from the night has blown up, hot and cold, too.) But here's a few of my personal thoughts...and some pics...

The bottom line is this: If Paramount needed to catapult a catch-up offense in this game of promotion and expectations and "buzz" with a hail-mary pass on a hurry-up offense ... this was a huge score. Both in terms of the event, and of course the movie—not just a trailer, but two full scenes of exclusive footage for the 500 or so fans on hand—and a pass for two to the outdoor-IMAX world premiere at Comic-Con San Diego on July 20, plus a studio street naming for Leonard Nimoy in which his family, the Beyond notables, and all fans on hand took part in a toast and mass photo. How do you top that for feel-good?

Zach Quinto leads castmates, JJ, Justin, Adam Savage,
Nimoy family, and 500 fans in a toast to Leonard—
and the unveiling of a namesake street (right) in front of 
old Desilu Stages 9-10—today's Paramount 31-32

500 fans on Stage 31, to start—and a few of them were actually not streaming or live-tweeting for social media.

It was even crowd-managed well—mostly. I mean, we'd wondered what was gonna fill up four hours; some were even wondering aloud if we'd get a draft look at the whole film.

The last 100+ of this line (left) never got in

Holding the event on Stages 31 and 32—or, in old Desilu terms, Stages 9 and 10, storied home to TOS itself—was a master stroke. But there was a major downside, unbeknownst to those inside: Some 100+ ticketed fans who were in line on time were not allowed in over fire marshal capacity concerns—an overreach probably based on the fact that the normal amount of no-shows an event planner counts on does not apply to rabid Trekfans hungry for a local event in Hollywoodland. But plenty of them were pissed—and were promised at least their own world premiere pass for Comic-Con. We'll follow up and see.

Chris, Zach and Karl in Q&A with fans

This was also, I realized as Friday had drawn near, the first big feel-good Trek hoopla on the Paramount lot in a decade—that's a generation, in employee years. I heard there was a lot of excitement and buzz on the lot, where almost no one goes back to the 90s/Aughts era of constant licensing summits and affiliate station confabs in the cause of Star Trek promo and biz.

I have to admit I was a bit distracted: So many friends from the LA fan, media and fan media worlds were here—from  my "+1", longtime fan propmaker and The Con of Wrath associate producer/donor Rusty Harrell to the @Trekkie Girls from the UK (at left, with longtime Paramount secueity guard Steve D.). And then of course with my own ticket giveaway winners, there was a lot of hosting to do.

But I also was on the lookout for strangers—if any Trek fan can be called that. Over the past year, even with this third alt-verse movie's ups and downs getting off the launchpad, I've  had a gut feeling that film in new hands might actually find its Trek roots and vibe in a way that will have a broader old-fan appeal. I've also become very focused on getting out of my own bubble, my own Internet bubble, and meeting up with those fans who are solely more recent JJ-era fans, or those who embrace the alt-verse with no grumbling.
 
That's why I loved doing a piece for Star Trek Magazine on fan reactions: I was determined to talk with fans I didn't already know! And boy, did I: from China and Malaysia and all over the US, as it turns out, were three that night. In fact, one young lady won the stunt version of Jaylah's staff from STB as the only one in the room with her hand up (besides me, apparently) for my buddy Scott Mantz' (at left, apparently in the Andorian Sector) and his trivia on Edith Keeler's social work house—and it turns out Doyle Zhang (at very top)  had flown in from Shanghai for the event (and was a big Dr. Trek fan, to boot!?).... so again, an amazing night. Look for comments from her and five other fans I spoke with (that's me working, at far right!)  in the Titan Star Trek Beyond movie special issue coming in mere weeks!

So, I yeah—I did miss out on any real hobnobbing with Stars and Names. My head was into hosting and working, as I pointed out the next day in that actual snapshot.

The otherwise nondescript teleprompter on the back wall

But if the hard-cores had a highlight, though, it had to be the Interweb meltdown following impromptu but carefully worded "announcement" by producer JJ Abrams and especially director Justin Lin, coming from that bootstrap celebration of fan passion, that the CBS/Paramount Axanar lawsuit would soon "go away". Their careful wording left lots of wiggle room for interpretation as to final details, but it's obvious they are two guys who'd like the air to be as cleared as possible when their bright shiny movie opens. I made it a point to look over at that moment to see the back-wall teleprompter — and it sure looked  frozen to me, though others have sworn the lawsuit question was indeed scripted in the scroll.

In any case, a lot in the past week has already been thrown back into flux again on this one. We'll see—but that story nearly hijacked the sole focus that Paramount surely wanted this night to have on the Interwebs and TV channels still standing. I'd far rather focus on the new series... and now, even, this new movie.

Chris Pine mingles & poses with fans a bit

Finally... 
Because it all amounted to a pretty happy crowd by night's end, no matter the fandom roots or outlook, as far as I could tell. As my gut had hoped and a recent longform piece on Justin Lin reveals, the new flick's director is an old Trek fanboy from way back—and coupled with his fixer mentality and ability to work fast and furious under fire, the STB scenes we saw hit all the right notes and, in the end, just felt right.

How many news outlets reported on CBS star Stephen
Colbert's special message to the crowd, spoken as a Trek fan?

No, not a secret clue—just still handy in the studio sign shop

1000 of these special numbered TMP homage posters
were printed for the gift swag bag.

How many newbies didn't catch John & Bjo Trimble?

When I first saw ST09 and especially STID, my brain's inner thoughts first turned to "what will I say publicly?" so as to put an honest, upbeat public face on this new paradigm format I was still a bit queasy about—and knowing many fans would look to me for a reaction.

But no such worry here. Maybe it's just serendipity that with Bryan Fuller's bunch of new CBS Trek episodes in the works and apparently Prime-set (no confirmed word yet, though), I could just mentally relax about this feature film—no pressure at being the sole rep of Gene's canon filmic universe any longer, no matter its fate.


Maybe so. But it's moot now: The trailer, the behind-the-scenes reels...and especially the 12-minute-plus piece we were privy to I'm sure you've read about elsewhere by now, keyed by a wonderfully right-on Urban/Pine-McCoy/Kirk moment of reflection... Well, I no longer had to wonder what I'd say about it publicly.

My gut instantly said, "Now this movie I want to see."

And I didn't seem to be alone.

Here's that trailer again ... 




...and a recap of the night from Paramount (sans any Axanar moments) ...
.



...and a full one-camer view of the Q&A, plus Scott's trivia:





New fan, bored fan, or just curious how much Trek you don't even know you don't know? Check out PORTAL 47—the monthly 8-point backstage pass based on my 20+ years of memories, archives and crew contacts from the front row of Trekland....live and online, right to your center seat no matter where it is!  Like a mini-con all year long—taking you where no savvy fan has gone before.

Awesome snapshot captures moi and many at Beyond Fan Day event

More thoughts and images to come on this... But I just had to post this now:

With over 500 people squeezed in to the ST Beyond "Fan Day" hoopla Friday night, this was an amazing moment caught by the event photog—and then as the one frame chosen for the press kit: Click to enlarge and see so many friends and colleagues caught in the shot! And all of them playing...

While I am hard at work (lower right, interviewing fan). Of course!

(Look for the results of my labors, barely slipped in on deadline, in the next official Star Trek Magazine from Titan UK/US.)

Bring on the movie fans!—and this ST Beyond event

Bless me, but I'm actually excited for Friday. 

After this long fallow decade of Trek... after two flashy yet brief film trips to the alt-Trek they created... with an actual, short-season Prime episode run coming as flagship of the new CBS All-Access ... and the excitement it has spawned running far more than the movie's—the one with a troubled start and practically no promotion so far...

Bless me, but I'm actually excited for this Star Trek Beyond Fan Event and Trailer #2 Premiere Friday night on the Paramount lot, led by director Justin Lin (left) and more headline cast/crew names TBA soon. Sorry, it's going to feel a bit "local" in the turnout, you far-flung fans reading this—unless you were among a handful to win a paid trip from Paramount to see it. (Or, of course, catch it on Facebook Live streaming.)

But even without that "radical" access ... it's literally going where no on-lot, live Trek movie promo event has gone before–especially for the public. Far more than just the trailer and talkers, I hear talk of some really cool displays—so we'll see!  "Star Trek: The Temporary Experience" is as welcome as any right now.

All of us will be eager to finally see what this jump-start buzz machine will actually jump-start among fans, their social media, and even hard-core media. That's the catch-up strategy, and it's already starting up this week.

But I also can't wait to meet and hear from the alt-movie fans, for once—if indeed a lot of them get in the gates Friday. I don't know that they always break through the "established" circles of fandom that tend to circle me... but I am so ready to gauge their reactions and feelings about what is unveiled this night. I really, really hope to finally meetup a lot of the fanbase who've come to Trek only since 2009, via the big-screen entry point.

With time not on the side of print media, I'll be writing a piece for Star Trek Magazine about not so much the event but the variety of fan feelings that night about both it and the movie. 

Look, as this unusual decade has played out with Trek in flux, my own perspective has finally evolved to understanding that while the "alt-verse" was not my first choice, this an overall well-cast film series has been amazing at pumping in new fans, and grabbing respect in The Town and This Media. It's been the best entry-level drug Star Trek has had in decades.

And if I haven't said it lately, I've said it often on-air: I had been excited to see what Bob Orci was going to bring to the series once left to his own, with JJ Abrams' shifting his gaze to Warsland; I felt for a long time that the JJ veneer on top of any Trek that Bob or anyone has done has been greatly underrealized, and had been eager to see what the final product would be without that veneer. for once. That said, even with its rushed restart after Orci's story was let go, I still have high hopes for the script that fanboy Simon Pegg and partner Doug Jung (right) turned out—and I pay no attention to group think: Lin has directed a far wider range of tales than simply that F&F tag he was stuck with—and he rejuvenated that. (Awesome profile on his life and its affect on his storytelling here.) 

I always hope for the best, and I'm really pulling for these guys. Maybe it's a luxury of optimism, now that we know a weekly return to Prime is due next winter. 

We'll see Friday. 

And I can hardly wait.




UPDATE: per Paramount: "The event will not be live streamed in it’s [sic] entirety. Buzzfeed Entertainment will be live streaming a portion of the event through their Facebook page. "

LAST CHANCE tickets for BEYOND fan event May 20!

You've heard all about it ... and likely seen the official, now-closed contest for giveaway tickets... to the big May 20 fan event and Trailer #2 preview hosted by director Justin Lin and cast for the third "alt-verse" Trek film BEYOND, due in theaters July 22.

You've even likely seen the other ticket giveaways from other sites, blogs and podcasts. Did you miss out?

If so, here's your LAST CHANCE... from Trekland and Portal 47:

WIN one of FIVE pairs of tickets to this 7 p.m. event right on the lot of Paramout Pictures in Hollywood with Lin and more—NEXT FRIDAY.  I'll be there, too! 

How? It's simple: Just email me your answer to this question, to larry@larrynemecek.com:

What is another aspect of the Kirk-era "Prime" universe that you feel should ALSO be a change seen in the current alt-verse Trek feature films? *

Now, alt-verse haters, back off. I mean this all in fun: Let's see how deep YOU can dive on this. And I don't need an essay—short answers are fine.

The first FIVE answers I receive that I judge best (creative, original... you know) will be declared winners, and each win a pair of tickets. 

The brief rules:

—Deadline is midnight Pacific time, THIS Sunday, May 15. Simply email to larry@larrynemecek.com.

—Your full name, along with your email off the entry, is required. You can name your second ticket-mate, or just go for now as a +1. 

—MOST of all, this prize is admission for two for this one Friday evening event only—no dream trips, sorry. If you are not IN Los Angeles already that evening or plan to get there yourself if you win, then these won't be much good to you stuck on Rigel VII or Tellar Prime.

Once winners are turned in to Paramount, the studio will get in contact about any further information, guidelines, etc.

BTW, here's how that official Paramount release described the night:

The one-time only special event, taking place at the historic Paramount Pictures studio lot, will include the premiere of the newest Star Trek Beyond trailer, an exclusive first-look of never before seen footage from the upcoming film, a Q&A with Lin and the cast and crew, special guests appearances, and other surprises. The Q&A will be streamed via Facebook Live.

And hey—I'll collect the five winners (and maybe some runners-up?) and post them next week. We'll have to grab pics of our Trekland/ PORTAL 47 winners that night at the event, too, of course.



*ie, Random or not—in the alt-verse, Vulcan is gone, Amanda is dead and George Kirk died early; Kirk was born in space, Chekov was born four years earlier, and the Enterprise and most all tech is vastly more advanced than their Prime equivalent at the same time due to the  leapfrogging info downloaded off the century-later Narada. SO—what's an aspect of the Prime timeline that you WISH was changed in the alt?

Star Trek Beyond's machine finally peeps—for charity!

I was just saying on Facebook & the Twits how this has been the quietest Star Trek
movie
launch ever, especially of the Social Media age.

Perhaps it was just to get beyond a no-show amid the noise of San Diego Comic-Con (for STB, anyway)... because this popped up today.

Good on you, Paramount/Bad Robot, and entire cast. (Looks like the bridge made it to Vancouver, anyway. Maybe with a little less plexi, hmmm?)

And Make a Wish, always one of Gene's and Majel's fave causes, is in the mix, too:

 

And yes... stay tuned: with a few weeks to breathe, here, I WILL attack my own backlog of recent and new vids to post before Vegas Khaaann. Really.