Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice ... The human half of Spock appears to have a new face. Daily Variety has reported that Oscar-nominated actress Winona Ryder has been cast as "Amanda Grayson," the first human wife of Sarek, in the new "Star Trek XI" movie now in production under the direction of J.J. Abrams.

UPDATE: Variety.com originally stated that Ryder will play "the Vulcan mother of Spock," which was in error — unfortunately, one that has been replicated by many other news outlets around the world. The print version of Daily Variety Friday morning correctly identified the character as "the human mother of a young Spock," and the online story has since been corrected.

"Amanda" was originally introduced in "Journey to Babel," performed by the late Jane Wyatt, who reprised the role in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." Amanda was also portrayed in the animated episode "Yesteryear," where she was voiced by Majel Barrett (it is in that episode where the last name "Grayson" was established).

Winona Ryder is one of Hollywood's golden girls of the last two decades, first stealing hearts as a goth teen in her breakout role in Tim Burton's "Beetle Juice." She continued to establish herself as a movie star in "Heathers," "Edward Scissorhands," "Mermaids" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula." She earned an Academy Award nomination two years in a row, 1994 and 1995, first as a supporting actress in "The Age of Innocence" and then as a lead in "Little Women." She went on to play an android in "Alien: Resurrection," and co-starred with Whoopi Goldberg in "Girl, Interrupted."

Her career experienced a bit of a lull after a touch of legal trouble in 2001-02, but she began making an upswing again with several film roles including "A Scanner Darkly." She recently wrapped filming on a crime drama called "The Informers," and a comedy called "The Last Word." Other upcoming film roles include the dramas "Alpha Numeric" and "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee."

There is no information on how large the role of Amanda will be in the "Trek" movie. Given that Ryder, 36, is only six years older than Zachary Quinto, who plays her son, suggests that either she will be made up to appear older, or perhaps she will be seen in a flashback.