My friend Nick is always sending me links to really cool articles about the behind-the-scenes goings on in Hollywood, like which producers are at each other's throats, etc.

Today, he sent me a link to an fascinating article about how an obscure clause--"options" is becoming a major force in Hollywood. You can read it here.

Rather than make this board about options in particular, I decided to make it about executive deal-making in general, so that if people end up liking this sort of thing, I can post links to other articles on the same general subject in the future.

Enjoy.

Interesting article, Luigi. It helped clarified some points regarding "the option clauses" in actor's/director's contracts. Thank

(A Punisher movie?! I'll pass. Never could get into the Frank Castle character too much.)

Options, or the lack thereof, are the reason that Robin Curtis took over as Saavik in STIII and STIV. They forgot to write an option into Kirstie Allie's contract.

Unfortunately, it seems Paramount did write in an option for Robin Curtis to return in STIV.

Aw come on, don't make it personal, Benn. Yeah, I prefer Kirstie's Saavik, but Robin Curtis did what she could with the role. And she was good as Tallera too.

Never saw Curtis as Tallera. As for Robin doing what she could with the role, well, IIRC, a lot of that was also Leonard Nimoy's doing, too. I remember reading an interview with her in which Curtis stated that Leonard Nimoy, in directing her as Saavik, would tell her to play the part "drier". Kirstie added a warmth that Robin Curtis' version of the character lacked. This, I think, is what reduced the part to a cameo appearance in Voyage Home.

Why would it reduce it to a cameo if Nimoy directed that movie?

I meant Curtis' performance is what reduced it to a cameo. That is, the fact that Robin Curtis' version of Saavik was so different from Kirstie Alley's. I think Curtis' version of the character Saavik lost any appeal or charisma that Alley gave her. But by the same token, I think Nimoy is responsible for insisting that Curtis play the part "drier". After all, Alley's version was allowed to say, "D*mn." Robin played a more traditional Vulcan. Kirstie's could've been a Romulan/Vulcan hybrid.

Which is what the novelization made her: a hybrid. That explains her emoting at Spock's funeral.

I'm sure this has been covered ad nauseam on one of the Star Trek boards.

Oh yeah, Craig, I'm sure it has.

And I, too, learned from McIntyre's novelization. (That seems to have been the only source for that nugget of information, though it might've been revealed in various interviews at the time.) The only reason I brought it up was to illustrate just how differently the two actresses played the role. Curtis' version was pure Vulcan, IMHO.

I agree. Sorry I drifted off topic a bit!

Not a problem. At least, as far as I can tell.