Star Trek alum William Shatner is coming to San Diego Comic-Con to discuss his illustrious career spanning seven decades, upcoming projects, and his new deep-dive documentary. The panel will be moderated by actor and director Kevin Smith. Shatner will introduce first-look footage of the documentary during the SDCC Hall H panel and also promises to end the session with an unforgettable Q&A with the audience. Speaking about the documentary the actor said in a statement:
For years I’ve had people approaching me to do a documentary about my life, but I turned them all down because it didn’t feel like the right fit,” Shatner said in a statement. “When I heard how Legion M wanted to incorporate audiences to be a part of it, it was perfect. Fans have been responsible for my career — it only seems right that they should own this doc.
The documentary is directed by acclaimed pop culture documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, (Hitchcock’s Shower Scene), and takes an up-close, intimate exploration of Shatner's personal journey over his nine decades on Earth. The director said in an official statement, “I grew up watching Bill Shatner on a black-and-white television in Switzerland. My first memories of him are from Columbo and The Twilight Zone. He is a modern Renaissance man. Ubiquitous. Unavoidable. "This intimate film will illuminate little-known and rarely seen aspects of Bill’s career and philosophy, and also reexamine some of his most iconic roles and cultural moments through a brand-new lens."
The Canadian actor made his debut in 1965 as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. He went on to portray the fan-favourite character in all the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, 21 of the 22 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and the first seven Star Trek movies. He has also written TekWar sequence, a science-fiction series which were adapted for TV and also co-wrote novels set in the Star Trek universe.
Outside the Star Trek franchise, the actor’s credit includes, 3rd Rock from the Sun as the alien Big Giant Head, The Practice as attorney Denny Crane and its spin-off Boston Legal, among others. Both attorney roles earned him Emmy Awards, one for each show.
Phillippe will be joining Shatner and Smith for the panel, as well as producers from Legion M and Exhibit A Pictures. The panel will take place on Thursday, July 21 between 4:30 - 5:30 pm at Hall H.