'Star Trek' 3 News, Update: Sci-Fi Sequel Gets Director From 'Fast Five'
Following the announcement that producer and writer Roberto Orci won't be directing the upcoming third sequel of the hit science fiction film "Star Trek," Paramount and Skydance listed about five possible names to helm the project.
The directors rooted are Duncan Jones, Morten Tyldum, Justin Lin, Daniel Espinosa, and Rubert Wyatt. Among the mentioned, the most voted for was the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" helmer Rupert Wyatt.
As it turns out, it is Justin Lin who will be seating behind the camera. The news was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter saying that the "Fast Five" helmer was actually the only person to be offered directly by the studio to take on the forthcoming title.
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Justin Lin has directed four installments in the popular "Fast & Furious" franchise (from FF3 to FF6). Earlier last month, Lin was told to take on the follow-up to the Jeremy Renner-led "The Bourne Legacy" but was thwarted when Universal announced that it will instead call on Matt Damon to return in a new "Bourne" movie. This consequently opened up his schedule.
Adam Chitwood of Collider.com said he wasn't sure if Lin is the "right fit" for the sci-fi franchise.
"I can't say I'm particularly enthused by the news of Lin's hiring on the Trek franchise. He's not a bad filmmaker by any means, and he definitely knows how to put together a set piece, but his talents seem to lie more in action rather than cerebral or thoughtful stories; I'm not sure he's the right fit for Star Trek."
"Then again, he's been busy making action-oriented films for so long, maybe he's keen on switching things up with a more character-centric sci-fi pic. I'm certainly open to the possibility that he'll make a great Trek movie, but my initial reaction is one of slight disappointment," he continued.
As for "Star Trek 3," Variety reported that Paramount has not yet set a release date for it. However, speculations pointed out that the studio might open the film to theaters in 2016, just in time for the 50th anniversary celebration of the "Star Trek" franchise.
