After months of rumours, Matt Damon has said that he will not appear in Star Trek XI, while Zachary Quinto is said to be near signing for the role of Spock.

IGN provided exclusive video interview footage of Damon, who is promoting his new film The Bourne Ultimatum. Asked whether he had indeed been approached to play James T. Kirk, he said, "That was an internet rumor."

Damon admitted that he was aware of William Shatner's remarks that Damon would make a good Captain Kirk, "which I thought was very cool." But director J.J. Abrams told Damon personally, "'The Kirk in my movie is much younger.'" Maybe, added Damon, "if they do the progression, then I can play him."

Speaking with Quinto, however, IGN learned that the actor was keen to take on the role made famous by Leonard Nimoy. "I love these rumors, I think anything we can do to keep these going is good," Quinto said at an NBC promotional event. "But I'm definitely here because of the show [Heroes] and that's what I'm relating to most these days."

Yet E! Online reported that Quinto was very close to a deal for the role. Quinto's contract was said to be with the business affairs team at Paramount, which would complete negotiations for the actor's compensation.

Abrams has promised major announcements at Comic-Con later this week.

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