It's been confirmed by J.J Abrams that Zachary Quinto, who plays villainous Sylar in TV series Heroes, will play a younger version of Spock in the upcoming Star Trek prequel movie, due for release Christmas 2008.
Abrams, co-creator of Alias and Lost, made the announcement at San Diego's Comic-Con 2007. He also confirmed that original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, will be making a cameo in the new film.
Nimoy told a 6,500-strong audience that: "This is really going to be a great movie, and I don’t say things like that lightly."
Quinto is the first actor to be cast in the movie, which will focus on a young Captain James T. Kirk, Spock, Dr McCoy and the rest of the Original Series characters. Quinto was a popular candidate for the role amongst Trekkers, thanks to his physical resemblance to Nimoy and his genuine desire to be part of the new film.
William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk, is reportedly bitter that he hasn't been contacted to make a similar appearance.
All the other characters are yet to be cast, but J.J Abrams dismissed rumours that Matt Damon is a shoe-in for Captain Kirk, after stating that the 36-year-old Damon is unfortunately too old.
