According to The Hollywood Reporter actor Karl Urban ( who is from New Zealand and played 'Eomer' in LOTR) has signed on to portray Doctor Leonard 'Bones' McCoy in J.J. Abrams new Star Trek film.  DeForest Kelley played McCoy in the original Star Trek series as an obstreperous curmudgeon ('Dammit Jim!'), who often provided the emotional opposition to Mr. Spock's relentless Vulcan rationalism.

Meanwhile, according to The Reporter, Chris Pine has decided to forgo playing George Clooney's partner in an adaptation of James Ellroy's White Jazz in order to take the role of a young Captain Kirk in Abram's new Trek saga.

With the signing of Urban and Pine, who join a cast that includes Eric Bana, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg and John Cho, it now appears that casting of the major roles in the new Trek film, which reportedly chronicles the early days of the crew of the Starship Enterprise, is nearly complete.  Abrams plans to begin shooting next month and finish principal photography by the end of March.