Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to get limited US theatrical re-release.
After the recent theatrical re-release of Terminator 2 in a new remastered print and 3D conversion comes another classic film’s cinema re-release but sadly only in the U.S.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan will be back in selected cinemas for two days on Sunday September 10th and Wednesday September 13th in more than 600 theaters across the U.S. at 2pm and 7pm local time courtesy of Fathom Events. The re-release is in commemoration of the film’s 35th anniversary and will be a digitally remastered print of the Director’s Cut. Thought by many to be the greatest film of the Star Trek movie franchise and replete with a classic revenge storyline that harks back to the original series episode Space Seed, fans will be shouting “KHAAAAAAAN!!!!” in unison at the limited release showings.
Both director Nicholas Meyer and the living legend that is William Shatner have been recalling the famous scene in which the cry caps off the epic standoff between Kirk and his arch nemesis Khan. Khan is seen taunting Kirk before he cripples the Enterprise, leaving Kirk stranded on a barren planet and via a radio link he tells Kirk that he will leave him there “marooned for all eternity.”
It is of course a clever double-cross by Kirk as he is only pretending that his ship is disabled and is in fact, luring his enemy into a trap. To add to the rouse Kirk let’s out a fake scream of frustration, yelling out the name of his foe. Speaking to USA Today the director went on to say,
“It’s a bit of a cheat,” Meyer says. “Kirk has to make Khan believe that this round, and it appears to be a final round, has gone to Khan. He has to act like he is a man who is totally screwed.”
Meyer stated that he had written the line himself,
“In caps with four exclamation points.”
Shatner stated that at the time he was unaware as to just how iconic his delivery of the line would become;
“Who thinks of those things when you’re making a film? Imagine thinking, ‘I’m going to say the name ‘Khan,’ and years from now people will be talking about it,’ ” says Shatner, 86. “You’d barely make it through a whisper. It would make you awfully self-conscious.”
The motivation for his scream came from quite an unlikely source with Shatner stating how he imagined Kirk to feel at that moment;
“He’s an alpha male bellowing his alpha male cry, like I have seen elk do,”
He stated that at the time he was,
“totally immersed in the emotion. You cannot fake that. People would recognize it.”
Shatner is well known for his quick wit and couldn’t resist adding,
“I hate to open up that Khan of worms, It was actually a Khan-undrum on how to play it.”
The line has been paid homage to in various comedy shows such as Family Guy and Robot Chicken and also made a surprise appearance in the reboot of the series during JJ Abram’s 2013 Star Trek sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness with the Spock played by Zachary Quinto taking on the iconic line.
“(Quinto) gives a great impression of screaming ‘Khan'” said Shatner.
Of his thoughts about other “tributes” paid by the aforementioned shows he would only say this,
“I Khan-not do that. They are not worthy of consideration, really. Especially by me.”
The 35th-anniversary screenings will be accompanied by a newly produced, in-depth interview with William Shatner that will play before the film. The interview will be hosted by Access Hollywood’s Scott Mantz who, quite fittingly, is one of the biggest Star Trek fans we know.