Home Entertainment Roberto Orci drops out of directing STAR TREK 3, Edgar Wright now in the running

Roberto Orci drops out of directing STAR TREK 3, Edgar Wright now in the running

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After two tours of duty on the USS Enterprise, JJ Abrams dropped one sci-fi universe for another, departing to work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That left Star Trek producer/writer Roberto Orci in the captain’s chair, a film that would have been his feature film debut. That’s a risky move for Paramount to make. Perhaps too risky, as Paramount’s plans to have Star Trek 3 release in 2016 in time for the 50th anniversary of the franchise have now seen Orci vacate the helm. So who’s going to take over? Apparently none other than fan favourite director Edgar Wright.

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According to Deadline, Orci will remain on board the film vessel as a producer, with a screenplay that he and two other writers, John Payne and Patrick McKay, had developed. The pre-development on the film itself was moving ahead at a solid pace, with new crew members being brought in to help shape the trilogy-capper and primary filming scheduled for shoots in Vancouver and Seoul. Heck, the film even got perennial grumpy icon William Shatner aboard. So what’s the reason for Orci dropping out?

According to Badass Digest, Paramount began battling with Orci over the direction of the script, resulting in him being booted from directing. With a shortlist of possible directors set up to replace him, Wright is at the top. Which seems like an odd choice, as Wright certainly seems set on making his own kind of film, and not acquiescing to company policies.

Still, Wright has enough of a connection to the series, being buddies with Scotty himself, Simon Pegg and having even directed a scene in Star Trek Into Darkness. It’s still hearsay at this point, but right now Star Trek 3 needs a director of Wright’s calibre far more than Wright needs the film gig.

But I don’t think there’s a  fan alive who would complain about that announcement, following the creative differences departure of Wright from Ant-Man earlier this year.

 

Last Updated: December 8, 2014

One Comment

  1. Wright’s a bloody good writer in his own right so, I don’t we’re looking at another STID if he’s on board.
    I’d say we’re even looking at proper Star Trek that “boldly goes where no man has gone before” instead
    of going where lots of other people have gone before.

    Reply

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