EW Star Trek Into Darkness Cover Story and Images

Entertainment Weekly has released images from their feature article that will hit newsstands on Friday (and available via Apple's Newsstand App now) to go with their covers. As usual with a JJ Abrams production nothing specific is revealed but below are the images and highlights from their cover story. One thing of note that has captured the attention of the blogosphere is EW's title to promote the issue as "Voyage Into The New Star Trek Kirk & Khan" that has since been changed to "Kirk and Spock". Some are seeing it as an accidental reveal of a key story point that Benedict Cumberbatch's real character name is Khan Noonian Singh. While I am on the bandwagon that this a true story point in the film, it has not been officially confirmed by anyone associated with Star Trek Into Darkness and I don't believe EW knows either. It was just an easy title to promote the issue and nothing more.

Highlights:

- Seems JJ Abrams interview occured on 1/24 when news broke that he would be directing Star Wars Episode VII, a day he summed up with the word "Madness."
- According to Chris Pine (Kirk), the film will have about 45 minutes of IMAX footage (so same footage will be at 35mm in most theatres, 70mm in size at IMAX theaters kind of like how The Dark Knight Returns and Transformers 2 jumped back and forth in aspect ratios).
- Pine calls Abrams the "benevolent dictator" because of his tight control over movie secrets.
- EW hints that Star Trek 3 short list of director's might include Star Trek 2 writers Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci
- EW: "We do know that Into Darkness depicts spirit-crushing attacks on London and San Francisco: Abrams says he was eager to have more scenes in general where the audience "gets out and about" in a city setting on Earth."
- Zoe Saldana: "I told them to make sure that Uhura kicks more ass. And she does!"
- Abrams on Spock's story arc: "There are things that happen to him - and things that he's part of - that are incredibly personal." (As EW put it, "So for Spock, you can expect...things!")
- No specifics on his Star Wars projects other then cast and crew wishing him god speed.