Casting Call: Winona Ryder Beamed Up To New 'Star Trek'

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (November 9, 2007) - Winona Ryder heads for the final frontier. Mark Wahlberg looking for "Payne." Plus, Josh Hartnett makes a break for the "End Zone." It's all in the latest Access Hollywood Casting Call...

J.J Abrams is beaming up Winona Ryder to play Spock's mother in "Star Trek," reports Variety.

[ Winona Ryder - View the gallery ]

Ryder will play Amanda, the human mother of a young Spock (Zachary Quinto).

While details have been kept under wraps, the "Trek" prequel will likely chronicle the early rise of the Starship Enterprise crew as they make their way through Starfleet Academy.

Chris Pine has been tapped to play a young Capt. Kirk, Simon Pegg will play Scotty, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy and Eric Bana will play the villainous Nero.

[ Brandon Routh - View the gallery ]

In addition, John Cho will play Sulu, Zoe Saldana as a young Uhura and Anton Yelchin will play Chekov.

Ryder recently wrapped production on "The Informers," alongside Ashley Olsen, Brandon Routh and Billy Bob Thornton.

She is getting ready to film the drama "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee," co-starring Julianne Moore and Robin Wright Penn.

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Mark Wahlberg is in talks to get in the game with Twentieth Century Fox for a live-action adaptation of the video game "Max Payne," reports Variety.

Wahlberg would play the title character, a cop who is haunted by the tragic loss of his family and has little regard for the rules as he investigates a series of mysterious murders.

However, Max soon finds himself up against an adversary who sets out to destroy Max and the streets he protects.

Wahlberg will start work on "Payne" after he wraps filming Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones." He recently finished production on M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening."

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Josh Hartnett and Sam Rockwell will star in "End Zone," reports Variety.

Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, "Zone" follows a talented college running back (Hartnett) who is slowly fumbling away his shot at stardom.

Rockwell will play the school's excitable publicist.

Kat Dennings ("Raise Your Voice;" "The 40-Year-Old Virgin") will play a fellow student who grabs the jock's attention.

Filming is slated to begin in February in New Mexico.

Hartnett stars in the current box office thriller "30 Days of Night." His other film credits include "Resurrection," "The Black Dahlia" and "Lucky Number Slevin."

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Jennifer Connelly will star opposite Keanu Reeves in "The Day the Earth Stood Still," per The Hollywood Reporter.

A remake of Robert Wise's 1951 film, "Earth" follows an alien who lands on the blue planet with a message for mankind - live in peace or be destroyed.

Connelly will play a scientist who is the first one to make contact with the alien, played by Reeves.

Production is scheduled to being next month in Vancouver.

Connelly will next be seen on the big screen alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo in "Reservation Road."

Reeves, who last appeared in 2006's "The Lake House," will return to the big screen in the crime drama "The Night Watchman," co-starring Hugh Laurie and Forest Whitaker.