Shatner: New Kirk role is 'uncastable'

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- "Boston Legal" star William Shatner says the role of a younger Capt. James T. Kirk for a new "Star Trek" production is "essentially uncastable."

The 75-year-old actor, who rose to fame as the "Star Trek" captain in the 1960s, joked in a recent TVGuide.com interview that TV producer J.J. Abrahm's attempts to recast the role for his ongoing work would prove fruitless.

"I think it's essentially uncastable," Shatner said of the role.

The actor, who takes on the role of lawyer Denny Crane on ABC's "Boston Legal," also joked in the interview about a recent DirecTV commercial that saw him revisiting the role that made him famous.

"They've got me CGI'd," Shatner told the Web site about his apparent weight loss in the TV advertisement. "They've got a computer program trying vainly to make me look younger."