The CW and Netflix just closed a deal that will allow users to watch their favorite shows much sooner than they could before. Variety reports that now you'll be able to watch your favorite CW shows on Netflix up to eight days after the show's season finale. This means Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, and the like will all be available to watch in full just over a week after their seasons end. This also includes the new Archie spin-off Riverdale, which starts up this fall.

Ultimately, this is awesome news in the wake of CBS (who owns The CW) making a big push towards its own streaming platform. I was afraid for a minute that I would lose the CW shows on my Netflix queue! It's good to see the two are still working together.

Burger Fiction is back with a new video, and time they turn their attention to the most successful director in Hollywood history: Steven Spielberg. All of the master filmmaker's movies are profiled (briefly) in order, from his earliest short films all the way through to The BFG, which is in theaters now. While it isn't the most informative piece of work about Spielberg you'll ever see, it's still cool to take a quick trip back through his filmography and be reminded about how many truly iconic cinematic moments he's been responsible for over the years. Take a look below:

Zack Snyder's Justice League has been filming for a while already, and set visit reports from a couple of weeks ago gave us a ton of new information about the film. Since then, we've learned about a few more casting additions, including Game of Thrones Kristofer Hivju playing an Atlantean king, and now CBM points us to a Wales Online interview with actor Julian Lewis Jones, who's the latest actor to saddle up for Snyder's hopeful blockbuster.

“I’m not allowed to say yet what part I play, but let’s just say I’ve a role in what will likely be the most expensive film ever made. I filmed at Warner Brother’s studio at Leavesden as well as at various locations around the UK and Iceland. Directed by Zack Snyder it stars Ben Affleck, Jeremy Irons and host of A-list actors. I’m just happy to have been involved and I’m looking forward to the movie’s release which will be next year.”

James Cameron might have something to say about that claim about Justice League being the most expensive movie ever made, since I'm pretty sure his Avatar sequels are going to end up topping that particular list.

I'm not too familiar with Jones, who's best known for his appearance on the Sky1 series Stella, but IMDb tells me I've seen him in movies like Invictus, Zero Dark Thirty, The Bank Job, and in the excellent 2007 BBC series Jekyll. There's no legitimate indication of who he's playing in Justice League, though I've seen some speculation that he may be playing the villainous Steppenwolf — that theory seems to be gaining traction for the simple reason that Jones filmed at multiple locations, which seems to imply he has a role that's a bit more than a cameo or a throwaway part. Who do you think he'll be playing in the movie?

I was browsing around Reddit today and managed to uncover a video that definitely needs more attention! Arkham's Journal is a "Pilot Promo" for a series that would be centered on the villains of the Batman universe. Unlike Gotham, this series appears to be set in the canon of DC Comics. We see the beginning of Hugo Strange, Raz Al Ghul, and even Bane all in glorious 4K. Give the pilot a look and share your thoughts and spread the word below!

Liam Neeson is back in Battleship mode in the international trailer for Operation Chromite, a Korean action film in which he plays General Douglas MacArthur. The film centers on the surprise attack in the Battle of Inchon, a key maneuver that drove the North Koreans out of the South and is viewed as a major milestone in South Korean military history.

It looks like there are plenty of war movie cliches on display here, but sometimes it doesn't matter: we often forgive cliches as long as the execution is good, and this one at least looks like it has some solid action for fans of the genre. The movie hits Korean theaters this month and comes to the U.S. in limited release on August 12th.

"Operation Chromite" is the codename for the Battle of Inchon that took place on Sept. 15, 1950, shortly after the Korean War (1950-53) broke out on June 25. It was a surprise attack in which U.N. forces landed in the South Korean harbor city to drive out the North Koreans, and is recognized as a turning point for U.N.-backed South Korea against the communist North. Operation Chromite will focus on eight Korean war heroes.

This is something we all need to experience. Of course, I'm sure by the end of the holiday, Nintendo's lawyers will have successfully shut down this Dolphin VR...read more on Gametyrant

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Over the course of the HBO series Game of Thrones, Jon Snow has gone from being treated like Ned Stark's bastard (something we now know isn't true) to being crowned King in The North. Meanwhile, Tyrion Lannister has served in a number of different capacities since his introduction as a smart, drunken, lusty nobleman: Hand of the King, Master of Coin, and now as the Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen. Since we have ten months left until new GOT episodes arrive (here's what might happen next), you can relive some of these characters' journeys with these solid videos by TheGaroStudios. The editor collects some of the best moments actors Kit Harington and Peter Dinklage have had in the series thus far. Check 'em out:

Greg and Jenius are joined by Dustin Pryor of the Media Rewind podcast to talk their favorite "American" movies. They take inspiration from the 5Cast and break down all 3 lists of their top 5 American films! What makes the list? What did we leave out? Listen in to find out! Listen on PodTyrant

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ScreenJunkies are back with a new Honest Trailer, and this time they're turning their parodic lens on Walt Disney Animation's Big Hero 6. With Tangled's small but vocal fan base, Wreck-It Ralph getting a sequel, and Frozen and Zootopia becoming massive box office smash hits, I think it's fair to say this movie is going to be (or already is?) the forgotten one among the recent Disney animated films. I'm sure it has its supporters, but while Baymax, the world-building, and the design elements are all pretty cool, it's impossible for the film to escape its superhero origin story trappings.

What did you think about Big Hero 6 when it came out? Have you given it a second thought since?

DC Entertainment has released a new clip from the animated film adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke. It debuted on an episode of DC All Access. In the clip, Batman confronts the Joker to talk to him about their dangerous relationship and how it will eventually lead to one of them killing the other. I am such a huge fan of this story, and I really hope this animated film is good. I’m a little worried because the more I see, the more I notice that the animation seems a little on the sloppy side. I’m still looking forward to seeing it, though. The clip in the video below starts at the 3:56 mark.

What does it take for a person to snap? How much despair for a mind to fracture? These are the twisted questions that The Joker has set out to answer, to show Gotham that even an ordinary man like Commissioner Gordon is only one bad day away from sheer insanity. Based on the acclaimed DC Comics graphic novel, witness a journey into the dark psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime. Follow his humble beginnings as a struggling comic to his fateful encounter with the Dark Knight that changed everything. Fueled by the return of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker, witness the birth of a super villain, the fortitude of a hero and the punch line that will leave you speechless.

Batman: The Killing Joke is based on the 1988 graphic novel written by Alan Moore with art by Brian Bolland. It’s one of the best and most controversial Batman graphic novels ever published. 

The animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke is directed by Sam Liu, and Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy are providing the voices of The Joker and Batman. It will be available to watch on VOD on July 26th, and it will hit Blu-ray and DVD on August 2nd. A special Deluxe Edition of the Blu-Ray combo pack will run $29.96, and includes a limited edition figurine of The Joker. The regular pack runs $24.98, and DVD runs $19.98.

Artist Matt Ferguson has created a stupendous set of art prints for Marvel's The Amazing Spider-Man. There are two versions of the poster: the regular edition features Spider-Man swinging through New York City in his classic red and blue costume. The variant edition is a darker take on the same design and Spider-Man is wearing the symbiote costume. Oh yeah! They both glow in the dark! 

These are officially licensed 18″ X 24″ glow in the dark screen prints. The regular edition comes in a limited set of 250, and the variant edition comes with a limited set of 125. 

Regular handbills, in an edition of 100, are also available for sale as well as variant edition handbills which will be randomly inserted with variant print orders. Available from 1pm EST Thursday, July 7th, 2016 here.  

Make sure to follow GMA’s twitter feed for the exact on-sale announcement here.

William Shatner is set to headline an all-star Star Trek panel at San Diego Comic-Con this year, and it will be moderated by Bryan Fuller, the man behind the upcoming new Star Trek series. 

The panel will take place in Hall H on Saturday, July 23rd at 2 PM, and some of the other Star Trek stars that will be in attendance will include Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager), and Scott Bakula (Star Trek: Enterprise).

CBS is also using the opportunity to heavily promote their upcoming Star Trek series, which Fuller is an executive producer on. The series doesn’t have an official title yet, but it’s slated to run on the CBS All Access streaming service following its premiere on the CBS broadcast network in January of 2017.

This is just one of several Star Trek events and panels taking place in San Diego during Comic-Con. There’s a “50 Artists. 50 Years” art gallery taking place in San Diego’s Gaslamp District and a partnership with MAC Cosmetics. Below you’ll also find a list of other panels for fans to check out. It’s shaping up to be a Star Trek heavy year at the convention, so it’s a great time to be a fan!

Here is a list of Star Trek panels at Comic-Con, which runs from July 21st to 24th:

TREK TALKS: SCIENCE, SMITHSONIAN AND STAR TREK
Friday, July 22, 6:30p.m. – 7:30p.m. (Room 5AB)

From the cutting-edge labs of the Smithsonian Institution to the front-lines of the digital economy, the promises made in Star Trek are coming true.  This panel gives a glimpse at real Trek technology: the tricorder that may change medicine; laser weapon technology; and an actual tractor beam.  And fans will get a preview of the original Starship Enterprise, fully restored after 50 years and the centerpiece of the National Air & Space Museum.  This panel will be supplemented by exclusive preview clips from Smithsonian Channel’s two-hour special “Building Star Trek,” which will air later this year. Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, Curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, moderates a discussion with Dr. Sonny Kohli, Team Leader of Cloud DX, a finalist for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE; David Grier, Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for Soft Matter Research at New York University, who is developing a real-life Tractor Beam; Dr. Rob Afzal, Lockheed Martin Senior Fellow Laser Sensor and Systems Harnessing the Power of Lasers; and Elizabeth Trojian, Executive Producer of Smithsonian Channel’s “Building Star Trek.” 

STAR TREK: THE RODDENBERRY VAULT
Saturday, July 23, 12:30-1:30 PM (Room 5AB)

On September 8, 1966, a new television series premiered with a basic mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. Little did anyone expect Star Trek would become one of the most adored and influential entertainment icons of the last half century. Star Trek documentarian Roger Lay, Jr.; Rod Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment and son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry; CBS’s Phil Bishop; and Star Trek alumni Mike and Denise Okuda will reveal never-before-seen clips and photos from some of Star Trek’s most beloved episodes.

TREK TALKS: STAR TREK & NASA BOLDLY GO
Saturday, July 23, 6-7 PM (Room 5AB)

Star Trek has influenced many of us to fall in love with the infinite possibilities of space exploration. The various television series and films have also made an indelible impact to NASA. NASA scientists, engineers and astronauts often cite Star Trek as inspiring them to pursue careers in their fields.  (Nichelle Nichols even helped NASA recruit astronauts in the 1980s.)   How does NASA’s vision of the future mimic the world of Star Trek and where does it differ?  What technologies in the Star Trek world have paved the way for real technologies being developed by NASA?   Robert Picardo, who portrayed The Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager, will moderate a panel which includes Astronaut Kjell Lindgren, NASA Johnson Space Center; Amber Staughn, Astrophysicist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Bobak Ferdowsi, Flight Systems Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and Jay Falker, Early Stage Portfolio Executive, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters.

STAR TREK THE OFFICIAL STARSHIPS COLLECTION: DESIGNING AND FILMING STARSHIPS
Saturday, July 23, 3-4 PM (Room 28 D/E)

Star Trek concept designer Rick Sternbach and Visual Effects Producer Dan Curry discuss exactly what it takes to take a Starship from the page to the screen and how the process has changed since Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in 1987 with the introduction of CG. The panel will be moderated by Eaglemoss’s Ben Robinson and everyone who attends will receive a free model Starship from Eaglemoss’s collection.

STAR TREK: FIVE DECADES OF COMICS
Friday, July 22, 1:30-2:30 PM (Room 8)

A celebration of all the 4-color Star Trek worlds, featuring a look at all past iterations and a chat with many who’ve chronicled theEnterprise crews’ comic-book adventures, including Len Wein, Scott Tipton, Mike Johnson, John Van Citters and JK Woodward. Moderated by Star Trek editor/supreme commander Sarah Gaydos.

“If it bleeds, we can kill it.”

Director John McTiernan and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic 1987 sci-fi action film Predator has been newly restored in 2K for an upcoming theatrical re-release. I freakin’ love this film, and it's a movie I’ve never seen on the big screen. So, to think that one day I’ll be able to watch this newly restored version on the big screen is exciting! Its first stop is in France, though, where it will screen on August 17th. There’s no word on when or if the movie will get a U.S. release yet, but I hope it happens! It would be a bloody shame if it didn’t. Why go through all the trouble of restoring the film if you can't share the awesomeness with the world?!

The movie also stars Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, and Richard Chaves, and the story follows a team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle where they find themselves hunted by an alien warrior hunter.

It’s been awhile since I’ve watched Predator, but looking at this trailer I don’t recall ever seeing such a clean and crisp image from the movie! 

Via: FirstShowing

Next Week during a Star Wars special on ABC called Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey, Lucasfilm will premiere a brand new three minute trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story! We knew a new trailer would be coming soon because Star Wars Celebration in London is scheduled to take place next week from July 15th to the 17th, and I imagine the trailer will be released online shortly before it will premiere on ABC, which is set for July 15th at 8 PM EST time.

There is sure to be a lot of stuff being shown to fans at the event, and one of the other things that I hope comes out of it is the title of Star Wars: Episode VIII. Rogue One is going to be the main event at the celebration this year, but I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, Lucasfilm and director Rian Johnson will surprise fans with a first look at Episode VIII. The film is almost finished shooting so there’s plenty of footage to show off if they want to.

I can’t wait to see what this next trailer for Rogue One has in store for us! I’m crazy excited about this movie, and so far everything that has been officially released has looked awesome! The opening crawl from Star Wars: A New Hope is what inspired this new adventures. It reads:

"It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.”

Rogue One will tell the story of those Rebel spies. The movie is set for release on December 16th, 2016.

Via: Making Star Wars

American Horror Story is back! And, it’s not alone. FX released the fall premiere date for the next season of American Horror Story, along with the premiere dates for two of its newest series, Atlanta and Better things. AHS season six is set to air on September 14, while Atlanta will be airing on September 6, and Better Things on September 8.

I am a fan of the earlier seasons of AHS, especially season one. The latest seasons, I did not care for as much. I am interested in what the writers have in store for the newest season. FX has not released much information on it, so I have no idea what to expect. 

All we have to go off of is from what Murphy has revealed, and that is that this next season was inspired by "the opera” and is set in the present day, but he also says that there will be "echoes of the past" included in the story. He added, "It’s set in two time periods, but principally in the present."

As for Atlanta, I am excited for it. I am a fan of Donald Glover’s (A.K.A. Childish Gambino’s) comedy and work. The fact that he is also incorporating rap into the show is a plus, because Gambino’s Camp is one of my favorite rap albums.

Atlanta revolves around two cousins on their way up through the Atlanta rap scene whose opposing views on art versus commerce, success and race will make their quest anything but easy…
Actor, writer and musician Glover serves as Executive Producer, along with Paul Simms (Girls, Flight of the Conchords, NewsRadio) and Dianne McGunigle of MGMT Entertainment. Atlanta will be produced by FX Productions.

Atlanta will also star Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Lee Stanfield and Zazie Beetz

I have seen little about the actual plot surrounding Better Things, but the promos have made me laugh every time. Since Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K. are at the helm of this show as creators, I will be sure to tune in to this one.  

In Better Things, Pamela Adlon plays “Sam,” a working actor with no filter trying to earn a living, navigate her daughters’ lives, have fun with a friend or two, and also - just maybe - squeeze in some private time once in a while. Her life is funny to watch, but you wouldn't want to live it (except sometimes).

I look forward to seeing all three shows when they air in September. In the meantime, check out the latest promos for Atlanta and Better Things

In school, some students ask the question: “When am I ever going to use this in real life?”. Well, Pixar has partnered up with Khan Academy to try and answer that question with Pixar in a Box. Pixar in a Box is

a series of interactive lessons, each of which demonstrate how a concept introduced in school is used for creative benefit at Pixar.

Pixar in a Box teaches basic concepts of animation while connecting mathematical concepts into the lesson. This is for people of all ages (Well, grades 5 and above). It also allows users the chance to learn about the Pixar filmmaking process from start to finish. 

From what I have seen, this seems like a cool resource and tool for students to have access to, especially those interested in animation (It also doesn’t hurt that it's free). Pixar in a Box offers lessons in topics like Patterns, Character Modeling, and Environment Modeling! Each lesson seems to be followed up by a “Test your knowledge!” type activity where users can experiment with the concepts they just learned.

If you are interested, you can watch the video below, or check it out here.

A new behind-the-scene photo from the set of Ghost in the Shell has been released giving us another look at Scarlett Johansson as The Major. She is joined by director Rupert Sanders and actor Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws, a.k.a. Tricky hanging out with three anime legends on the set of the film. Those anime legends are Mamoru Oshii, who directed the original 1995 Ghost in the Shell film, Kenji Kamiyama, who directed both seasons of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime series, and composer Kenji Kawai, who provided the score for the Ghost in the Shell anime films.  

The producer of the film, Steven Paul, recently did an interview in which he talked about the film, explaining that even though the main character in the film is caucasian the film still has a very international reach with its diverse cast and he thinks fans are going to love it:

“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it. They’re going to be very, very happy with it when they see what we’ve actually done with it, and I don’t think anybody’s going to be disappointed.

“I don’t think it was just a Japanese story. Ghost in the Shell was a very international story, and it wasn’t just focused on Japanese; it was supposed to be an entire world. That’s why I say the international approach is, I think, the right approach to it.

“There [are] all sorts of people and nationalities in the world in Ghost in the Shell. We’re utilizing people from all over the world. … There’s Japanese in it. There’s Chinese in it. There’s English in it. There’s Americans in it.”

As a long time fan of this franchise I really, really, really, hope this movie doesn't suck. Ghost In The Shell is set for release on March 31st, 2017.

Marvel has been recently stepping up their efforts in diversity, and they have just announced that the new Iron Man in the All-New Marvel relaunch of Invincible Iron Man is a 15-year-old African American girl.  

After the events of Civil War II, Tony Stark has stepped away from being Iron Man and stepping into those iron shoes is Riri Williams, who was introduced in the current Invincible Iron Man series. She is a student at MIT, and she has already built her own armor in her dorm room. That's how she got the attention of Stark.

Iron Man writer Brian Michael Bendis will stay on as the writer of the series, and in an interview with Time, he talks about the reception of the new character so far, saying:

"Thankfully because of my involvement in the creation of Miles Morales and Jessica Jones and some other characters, it’s getting the benefit of the doubt from even the most surly fans. There are fans who say, 'Show us the new stuff,' and then there are fans who say, 'Don’t do anything different from when I was a kid.' So when you’re introducing new characters, you’re always going to have people getting paranoid about us ruining their childhood.

"I’ve been down this road with Miles Morales, Jessica Jones, Maria Hill. I knew I was in good hands with Mike Deodato and other artists who are helping visualize Riri."

These days there always seem to be some haters that don't do well with change, but it's 2016 and the world is changing. About the diverse new set of characters and the fan controversy, Bendis said:

"Some of the comments online, I don’t think people even realize how racist they sound. I’m not saying if you criticize you’re a racist, but if someone writes, 'Why do we need Riri Williams we already have Miles?' that’s a weird thing to say. They’re individuals just like Captain America and Cyclops are individuals. All I can do is state my case for the character, and maybe they’ll realize over time that that’s not the most progressive thinking.

"But increasingly we see less and less of that. Once Miles hit, and Kamala Khan hit and female Thor hit—there was a part of an audience crawling through the desert looking for an oasis when it came to representation, and now that it’s here, you’ll go online and be greeted with this wave of love.

"I think what’s most important is that the character is created in an organic setting. We never had a meeting saying, 'we need to create this character.' It’s inspired by the world around me and not seeing that represented enough in popular culture."

I personally don't care who takes on the mantle of Iron Man as long as it's an interesting character who is approved by Stark and can be used in a way to make for great and interesting stories and embark on fun and intense adventures. 

I'm curious to see how fans will react to the change, but there's still the big question of Tony Stark's fate. In this next statement, Bendis cautioned fans not to jump to conclusions:

“More people are going to be upset that they think they know the ending to Civil War II now than anything we just talked about. But I can tell you just because we’re hearing what we’re saying doesn’t know you mean how Civil War II ends. We’re not telling you the end, at all.”

I guess fans better prepare themselves for even more big changes in the Marvel universe. The new Invincible Iron Man is set to be released this fall. I can't wait to see where this all leads!

The trailer for the upcoming Batman: The Killing Joke animated film has been amazingly recreated in the art style of the graphic novel created by Brian Bolland and John Higgins. It was created by the Emil Ryderup of the YouTube channel Plan Making Mammals, and it turned out to be awesome. It makes me wish the whole animated film was done in this style. It looks a lot cooler than what we are getting. It gives the film a much more striking visual aesthetic, and it’s definitely more faithful to the graphic novel in terms of style and design. 

Via: Bleeding Cool

Gene Roddenberry was the genius behind Star Trek, but for the franchise to thrive he had to step away. There are tons of stories out there about how he was difficult to work with, how he butted heads with other creatives, and it got so bad that he was forced out of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Based on the stories I've heard, I would love to see a Gene Roddenberry biopic get made one day.

There's a new book out now called The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek – The First 25 Years. In that book, it's revealed one of Roddenberry's early scripts for Star Trek: The Motion Picture had a scene where Captain Kirk fights Jesus Christ. 

THR shared an extended excerpt from the book that you've got to read, especially if you’re a Star Trek fan. There were several screenplays written for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. One of those scripts featured a story involving time travel and the Enterprise crew trying to prevent John F. Kennedy from being assassinated. Then there is the one where he fights Jesus. William Shatner starts off by recalling the following pitch that Roddenberry gave him:

“[Rodenberry] said, ‘First of all, we have to explain how you guys got older. So what we have to do is move everybody up in a rank. You become an admiral, and the rest of the cast become Starfleet commanders. One day a force comes toward Earth — might be God, might be the Devil — breaking everything in its path, except the minds of the starship commanders. So we gotta find all the original crewmen for the starship Enterprise, but first — where is Spock? He’s back on Vulcan, doing R & R; five-year mission, seven years of R & R. He swam back upstream. So we gotta go get him.’ So we get Spock, do battle, and it was a great story.” 

Director Richard Colla went into more depth on that story and explained:

"Gene showed me that treatment, which was much more daring than Star Trek: The Motion Picture would be. The Enterprise went off in search of that thing from outer space that was affecting everything. By the time they got into the alien’s presence, it manifested itself and said, ‘Do you know me?’ Kirk said, ‘No, I don’t know who you are.’ It said, ‘Strange, how could you not know who I am?’ So it shift-changed and became another image and said, ‘Do you know me?’ Kirk said, ‘No, who are you?’ It said, ‘Strange, how could you not know who I am?’ So it shift-changed and came up in the form of Christ the carpenter, and says, ‘Do you know me?’ and Kirk says, ‘Oh, now I know who you are.’

It gets even better! Author Michael Jan Friedman, who was hired to write a novel based on the screenplay, shared even more details, and he wasn't a big fan of it:

"To the best of my recollection, I received both the script and a short narrative version of it. Naturally I jumped at the chance to translate and expand it. Gene was — and still is — one of my heroes, for God’s sake, no pun intended. As he had already left the land of the living, this was a unique opportunity to collaborate with him. But when I read the material, I was dismayed. I hadn’t seen other samples of Gene’s unvarnished writing, but what I saw this time could not possibly have been his best work. It was disjointed — scenes didn’t work together, didn’t build toward anything meaningful. Kirk, Spock and McCoy didn’t seem anything like themselves. There was some mildly erotic, midlife-crisis stuff in there that didn’t serve any real purpose. In the climactic scene, Kirk had a fistfight with an alien who had assumed the image of Jesus Christ … So Kirk was slugging it out on the bridge. With Jesus."

Captain Kirk fighting Jesus. The image of that in my head is ridiculous and amazing. It's really not that hard to imagine. I wonder what fans would have thought of that back in 1979 when the movie was released. Hell, I wonder what people would think of it now! I personally kind of would have loved to see Shatner's Kirk fighting an alien that has taken the form of Jesus.

Shatner was obviously inspired by Roddenberry's story because Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which Shatner directed, features the crew of the Enterprise finding an alien being who claims to be God. Kirk just didn't get in a fistfight with him.