TNG Cast Not In Star Trek Movie

As a result of a comment during Wondercon, The Latino Review suggested that the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast will make an appearance. As TrekMovie.com points out, that idea is completely false.

From Latino Review:

…another writer (or artist) said that part of the movie will take place with the Next Generation cast and to look out for that. Another guy on the panel gave him a quick "uh oh" look.

After that, someone from the audience asked "So are members of the Next Generation cast in the new Trek movie?" to which the same guy replied, "I really cannot say anything about that."

From TrekMovie:

TrekMovie attended the same panel at Wondercon and certainly did not take away that Latino Review analysis. We have previously received no indication that there are any cameos of any Next Generation era actors or characters. Just to be sure, we double checked with reliable sources and can confirm that there are definitely no TNG cameos in the new Star Trek.

The source of the confusion seems to be from Star Trek: Countdown comic book series that bridges the gap from the end of the Star Trek: Nemesis movie to the beginning of JJ Abrams movie. Because of time travel things can get a bit confusing

The comic takes place about 30 years after the end of Nemesis. Picard is now Ambassador Picard (apparently ignoring Kirk's advice to never leave the chair), the revived Data is Captain of the Enterprise-D, and Spock is the Federation Ambassador to Romulus, the capital of the Romulan Empire which is more open then ever to Unification. In the comic, an accident takes place that causes a nearby star to go nova, destroying Romulus. The nova could have been prevented by Vulcan technology but the Vulcan council refused to provide it to Spock and Nero (the movie's villain). Nero's family was killed in the planet's destruction and seeking revenge he goes back in time (with Spock following) to destroy the Enterprise lineage starting with Kirk (thus the movie's opening with the destruction of the USS Kelvin with the Kirk's parents on board).

I think the involvement of the TNG cast in the back-story of the movie is what caused the initial confusion. I also believe that the time travel plot point creates the Star Trek 2.0 parallel universe. This way the William Shatner Kirk and the Chris Pine Kirk and all that follow can exist in tandem providing Paramount with opportunity to mind both possibilities from fans in books, comics and merchandise depending on what your tastes favor.