Scottish film star James McAvoy will play Scotty in a new Star Trek film, it has been reported. The 28-year-old Glaswegian, who played posh car-thief Steve in Channel 4's Shameless, has won the role of the Starship Enterprise's famously dour chief engineer, according to the Scottish Sunday Mirror. Scotty was played in the iconic TV series by Canadian James Doohan and was immortalised by Captain Kirk's phrase 'Beam Me Up, Scotty'. McAvoy, star of the Oscar-winning The Last King of Scotland and the forthcoming Atonement, will appear in the 11th film of the sci-fi series, the paper said. The movie reportedly takes the crew back to Starfleet Academy. A film insider told the paper: "McAvoy had to go through a full casting process - and was up against famous names and total unknowns. "He was called back a couple of times before getting the phone call from one of the producers to say he had won the role." According to the Sunday Mirror, original Enterprise Captain William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, now both 76, have signed up to play Captain Kirk and Mr Spock once again in flash-forward scenes. It will be directed by the creator of TV series Lost, JJ Abrams, and shooting begins this Autumn with release planned for Christmas next year. Doohan died in July 2005 and his ashes were blasted into space this summer.
