Back in May it was revealed that screenwriter Roberto Orci would direct the upcoming third (or thirteenth, depending on your view) Star Trek film, taking the reins from director J.J. Abrams, who helmed 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness. Speaking with the BBC, cast member Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty in the new series, spoke about Orci stepping in for the third film, saying it makes “perfect sense.”
“I’m really happy he’s doing it as it’s kept within the family kind of thing, it’s not somebody coming in from outside. Bob’s been there since the first Star Trek – by that I mean the 2009 one – so it seemed to make perfect sense that he come in as a director on this one because he gets it. He was always the most Trekkie of all of those guys anyway, he’s always understood the story the best so it’s great that he’s going to be involved in the writing and directing.”
Pegg also confirmed that, despite directing the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII, he expects J.J. Abrams to remain on board the project in some capacity.
“I don’t think JJ would be able to let it completely go because that’s not in his nature.”
Orci is joined on the project by screenwriters Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, who are helping him pen the next adventure of the Enterprise crew.
The expectation is that Star Trek 3 will land in theaters in 2016, just in time for the franchise’s 50th anniversary. At the moment, however, no release date has been set.
