Manuel here. Here's one way to pique my interest about a film I was totally indifferent if not outright hostile to. Cast Shohreh Aghdashloo. In case you hadn't heard, the Oscar nominated actress has been added to the upcoming Star Trek sequel, Star Trek Beyond. If you're wondering, Wait, doesn't that come out later this summer (July 22) and shouldn't they have wrapped production already? you would be correct. The film is adding a character (the High Command of the Federation played by Aghdashloo) in a series of reshoots planned for this week.
This won't be Aghdashloo's first brush with threequel high-octane blockbusters: she played scientist Kavita Rao in the dreadful X-Men: The Last Stand. Can we hope that, pre-production scuffles and last-minute reshoots aside, Star Trek Beyond will at least be a more satisfying trilogy capper than that Bret Ratner misfire?
More importantly, will someone finally listen to us and assemble, Avengers-style, all the actresses doing thankless roles in summer box office hits into an Expendables-like franchise? Think: Glenn Close (Guardians of the Galaxy), Winona Ryder (Star Trek—we'll retcon her [spoiler]), Laura Linney (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows), Patricia Clarkson (The Maze Runner) all band together to... I don't know, fight sexism in the industry with Viola Davis (Suicide Squad) at the helm? I mean, I'd watch that, wouldn't you? In the meantime, we should be happy that Aghdashloo will join the Trek universe and that it means casting directors have her in mind for future roles worthy of her talent and beauty.