Two-time Academy Award nominee Winona Ryder has been hired to play the mother of Spock in the new Star Trek film.

By hiring Ryder, the producers more than make good on their promise to cast big-name actors in Trek. Ryder has been active in Hollywood for over twenty years, having appeared in major films such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Girl, Interrupted and A Scanner Darkly. She received Oscar nominations for her roles in The Age of Innocence and Little Women, and already made a first step into the world of science fiction by starring in Alien: Resurrection. Soon, she will be appearing in the films The Informers and The Last Word.

At 36, Ryder is only six years older than Zachary Quinto, who will be playing a young version of Spock alongside Leonard Nimoy. This raises the possibility Ryder will be seen in flashback scenes depicting an even younger version of Spock. Previously, a baby Spock was already briefly seen in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

The role of Amanda Grayson was originally portrayed by Jane Wyatt. Wyatt appeared in the Original Series episode "Journey To Babel," as well as in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In the brief flashback scene in Star Trek V, she was played by an actress named Cynthia Blaise, while Majel Barrett provided her voice in the Animated Series episode "Yesteryear."

For the original article from Variety, please follow this link.

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