Roberto Orci is to helm 'Star Trek 3'
Roberto Orci, the Hollywood screenwriter best known for writing the first two Star Trek reboot movies, has been promoted to the director's chair for Star Trek 3. J.J Abrams helmed the first two instalments of the rebooted sci-fi franchise but is currently preoccupied with the small matter of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Roberto Orci Will Direct 'Star Trek 3'
Orci's name has been doing the rounds for several weeks now, and the Hollywood Reporter confirm he now has an offer from Paramount and Skydance.
The man is no stranger to the franchise having written the first two movies with partners Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof. He and Kurtzman have also worked on the Transformers movies, Cowboys & Aliens and the Amazing Spider-Man 2 - blockbuster movies, but by no means critical successes.
More: Whoopi Goldberg to star in the new Star Trek movie?
On the smaller screen, Orci is one of the creators of Fringe and the critically acclaimed Sleepy Hollow.
It's rare that a screenwriter is promoted to director, and there's few examples to prove that it actually works. Cinematographer Wally Pfister made his directorial debut with Transcendence earlier this year - a critical and commercial failure.
Star Trek Into Darkness starred Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Simon Pegg as Scotty. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said: "Abrams boldly goes into Star Trek Into Darkness, and crushes it again. It's more fun and more intense, without giving less to the characters."
Star Trek 3 is likely to go for a 2016 release, which, at the moment, looks reasonably sparse. We're expecting the Warcraft movie, Angry Birds, The Mummy reboot, Independence Day 2, Finding Dory and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. 2015 is a different story, with some of the biggest movies of recent times set for release. They include: Avengers 2: Age of Ultron, Star Wars: Episode VII, Fifty Shades of Grey, Ant-Man, Terminator Genesis, Pan, American Sniper and a new James Bond movie.
More: Read our review of Star Trek Into Darkness
Watch Roberto Orci chatting about thefts on the set of 'Star Trek Into Darkness':
This is where the Star Trek franchise officially shifts from thoughtful drama into thunderous action....
While the original 2013 magical caper was a big hit, it's style-over-substance approach didn't exactly...
As with the too-early franchise reboot in 2012, this sequel struggles to balance the demands...
Since this entire story centres on virtual-reality gaming, it's tricky to feel any sense of...
The idea of magicians conducting a series of heists is a great one, but this...
After his successful re-imagining of the Star Trek universe four years ago, Abrams dives even...
There's an intriguing true story buried inside this overly structured drama, and by playing by...
With such a blatant B-movie title, this well-made film really should be more fun to...
If you're going to clone someone, Scarlett Johansson is a damn good choice. But putting...