Next Generation/Deep Space Nine-star Michael Dorn has logged more hours in Star Trek than any other actor, and in an exclusive Phoenix Comicon interview with TrekMovie, he reveals that he wants more. Dorn plans to pitch a Worf TV movie and he has also started a production company to make other (non Trek) movies targeted at Trek fans. He also dropped the bombshell that he almost got a part in JJ Abrams Star Trek sequel All the exclusive details below.

Exclusive: Michael Dorn on his Worf movie pitch/ Star Trek sequel almost casting + new movie project

At Phoenix Comicon I had a chance to talk to Star Trek: The Next Generation’s (and Deep Space Nine’s) Michael Dorn about a couple of his upcoming Star Trek-related projects and about his (almost) casting in JJ Abrams 2013 Star Trek movie.

TrekMovie.com: so, is it true you got a call from the casting people for JJ Abrams recent sequel?

Michael Dorn: Yep. I don’t know what the role was. They called in November or December of last year and said "hey, we would like to know if Michael is interested in playing a part of an officer – a soldier." And we said "yes." Then time went by and we finally talked to them at maybe the end of January or February and they said they had changed their mind and that’s as far as it went?

TrekMovie.com: Do you know why? Was it that they didn’t want to mix the old with the new?

Michael Dorn: That’s what they said, but who knows really. If you know the business as well as I do, who knows? It could have been the casting people going "hey this would be a good idea and they shot it up the road to JJ and he said ‘no, we aren’t going to do that.’" But I don’t know. It is nothing nefarious. Nothing mean. They changed their mind, so I don’t worry about it.



Michael Dorn as Colonel Worf (ancestor to his TNG Worf) in Star Trek VI (1991) – he almost also got in to 2013’s Star Trek sequel

TrekMovie.com: Changing subjects to your current focus, what can you tell me about this romantic comedy that you wrote?

Michael Dorn: It’s called "Through the Fire," and its about two successful urban black characters in New York who find each other after many many years. And they find love after denying that they need love after many years. I will be play opposite Anne Marie Johnson – if you look her up on IMDB, she’s been around for years on shows like Melrose Place, JAG, In The Heat of the Night, House of Payne and other shows. She is seasoned, beautiful, wonderful actress.

TrekMovie.com: Who are some of the costars who will be joining you?

Michael Dorn: Marina Sirits plays my best friend in the movie, who is my best friend in real life. Armin Shimerman who plays an actor, his wife plays another actor in a scene on stage which everyone says is one of the funniest things they have ever read. Nana Visitor has a wonderful part. Bob Pine, father of Chris Pine, is in there too – that is all we have for now, because we wanted to populate it with enough characters but not overpopulate it, so its not like "oh its like all these people, but in street clothes."

TrekMovie.com: So you have started your own production company and you are going to use Kickstarter for this?

Michael Dorn: Yes. We got a movie that we have a lot of interest in. Most of the roadblocks were that they didn’t think that our fans were numerous enough or loyal enough to support a movie. So we are going up on Kickstarter in a couple in two weeks. It is sort of our way of answering the question of – will the fans do this? If it is true, then I think we can have a cottage industry of small movies that are targeted towards the Star Trek fans. The thing is that this movie is not a science fiction movie, but if it gets picked up our next movie and the one after that are going to be science fiction. And what we are going to do this first movie ["Through the Fire"], we will have the fans vote about what they want to see in the next movie.



Michael Dorn at Phoenix Comicon 2012 – plans to launch Kickstarter campaign to generate interest in new production company for films targeting Trek fans

TrekMovie.com: So in your panel you mentioned the idea of pitching the a lower budget Star Trek movie with Worf? Is that serious?

Michael Dorn: I am serious. I think there is a place for it. Straight to DVD or straight to cable. Who wouldn’t want to have this kind of thing going on? It is going to help their movie. The fans aren’t going "we are going to see this movie, but we aren’t going to go see the big movie in the theater."

TrekMovie.com: Do you have a writer lined up?

Michael Dorn: I think I am going to write it.

TrekMovie.com: So where do you see Worf now?

Michael Dorn: He is captain of a ship – a Federation ship. He is out there in the front lines basically chasing terrorists.

TrekMovie.com: So you want to make it edgier? Darker?

Michael Dorn: Totally, totally. I think we will have some of our Star Trek people in it, but mostly new characters. It will be interwoven into the fabric of Star Trek. And also what we going through right now?

TrekMovie.com: When do you think you are going to have your first meeting at CBS?

Michael Dorn: I have couple meetings I want to do before that. First with Rick Berman, who produced all of our shows, just to see what he thinks. Then my manager. And I know people at SyFy. And I’ll just start gathering information. If anything happens it is going to be next year because I have a bunch of stuff to do this year. I have already started writing the script and excuse my language, but it f—ing great."



Michael Dorn as Worf commanding the USS Defiant (Star Trek: First Contact – 1996) – plans to pitch Captain Worf TV movie