In less than two years, Star Trek will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. Ideally, Paramount would like to play off that publicity for Star Trek 3. Unfortunately, that’s looking more and more like it’s not going to happen.
When we last checked in with the franchise, rookie director Roberto Orci had been booted from the director’s chair and supposedly Edgar Wright was being sought as a replacement. But it turns out Orci being fired was just the start of the movie’s troubles, according to Badass Digest. Orci was fired, it turns out, because he wanted to do a time travel story where the Vulcans try to save their home planet, and Paramount didn’t.
I’ve been in touch with some folks and it seems like the script was one of the problem factors. Paramount shut the production down last month, sending home all the design people while they battled over the direction of the screenplay. I imagine all this stuff is gone now.
Also, apparently the reason Joe Cornish, Paramount’s choice, didn’t get the job is that Orci threw a hissy fit about how he wanted to direct. Orci, it should be noted, has no directorial credits. Cornish made a movie that got John Boyega cast as the new face of the Star Wars franchise. Thanks, Bob. Thanks a lot.
So if Paramount is throwing out the script, and that’s sure what it sounds like, essentially Star Trek 3 is in some pretty deep fecal matter. Orci is gone; he still has a producer credit but it’s pretty clear he’s not going to be allowed anywhere near the franchise. J.J. Abrams is too busy with Star Wars, and Alex Kurtzman is either making Universal monster movies or trying to save Spider-Man for Sony, depending on whom you ask.
That gives Paramount about two years to find a new screenwriter, find a director, get the cast lined up, shoot it, deliver the effects, and get the movie out into theaters. Normally, we’d say that Paramount would let that go and focus on making the best movie possible, but when has Paramount ever done that with Star Trek? They’re going to gun for the 2016 release date, thus ensuring that the legendary Star Trek movie curse endures. Well, at least Star Trek Four Darkness or whatever they call it will be good.
