14 DAY TRIAL // When J.J. Abrams agreed to direct “Star Wars: Episode VII,” it became clear that he wouldn’t be able to direct the third installment of “Star Trek” as well, despite initial plans to make it happen. He dropped out of the latter project and, since then, Paramount Pictures and Skydance have been struggling to get a new director on board.
Abrams directed both “Star Trek” movies that rebooted the franchise and came out in 2009 and 2012, respectively.
Variety confirms that Roberto Orci will be taking over from him as director, while also handling script duties. Abrams stays on as producer. It’s ok if you can’t think of a single movie Orci has directed because he hasn’t: “Star Trek 3” will be his directorial debut.
However, to his credit, Orci is credited as producer and writer on some of the biggest action movies of recent years, from “Star Trek” (both installments) to “The Amazing Spider-Man” (also both installments) and the upcoming “The Mummy,” but also in television, with “Alias,” “Fringe,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Transformers,” and TV classics “Hercules” and “Xena, Warrior Princess.”
“It’s a little bittersweet,” J.J. said when he announced he wouldn’t be directing “Star Trek 3.” “It definitely feels like the right time to let someone come in and do their own thing. I certainly don’t want someone to come in and try to do what I would have done.”
With Orci penning the script and acting as producer on both previous installments, he will probably be up to the task to direct the third one, don’t you think?