Nothing is official, here yet, but we have a potential first bit of news on the development of
Star Trek 3, the upcoming follow up to 2013's
Star Trek: Into Darkness. Since JJ Abrams vacated the director's chair in favor of a galaxy far, far away, apparently writer Robert Orci is lobbying hard and is in early talks to direct
Star Trek 3.
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| " 'Sup. " |
Orci has been among Hollywood's most prolific writers and busiest producers for a number of years now. A quick look at his IMDb page reveals 28 producer credits and 27 writer credits—along with partner Alex Kurtzman, he's written blockbusters such as the
Transformers series and forthcoming installments of the
Amazing Spider-Man films. Of course, he's also been instrumental in the development of the
Star Trek reboot series since the start.
On the one hand, it might be good to have someone steeped in nu-Trek lore at the helm, filling some of the vacuum Abrams left. It can be tricky to bring new blood into such an important, beloved franchise halfway through its run. You don't want to have to start practically from scratch. On the other hand, Orci's contributions to the franchise haven't all been warmly received by fans, and he himself hasn't always been warm to the fans when questioned about his choices. There's also the fact that he has no feature experience under his belt. He's never directed a film—and certainly nothing as big as
Star Trek 3 will undoubtedly be. He's untested, and reportedly that makes Paramount nervous. Orci has Skydance Productions and Abrams himself in his corner, and much has been made recently of his and Kurtzman's decision to split their partnership so each can focus on directing (Kurtzman is set to direct the
Venom spinoff for Sony).
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| Can't do worse than this, right? |
Kurtzman is off
Star Trek 3, but Orci stayed on to write the script with newcomers Patrick McKay and John D. Payne. This could be a point in his favor to direct
Star Trek 3, being so versed in the story, but something to keep in mind is that the 2016 release of the third installment in the series is timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of
Star Trek. Again, Paramount may not want to gamble on a largely untested filmmaker with legacy stakes like those. It's not as though Orci has never set foot on a film set; he's made himself a long and lucrative career. Yet it's different to direct and be responsible for every decision in crafting a movie rather than to produce or write. It's ambitious on Orci's part to try and make his inaugural splash on one of the highest-profile franchises in recent years.
What do you think? Are you afraid he'll tank the series like
Into Darkness' USS Vengeance falling to Earth? Or does Orci have what it takes? Leave your comments and opinions below. I'll note them in my captain's log.
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