Star Trek 3 To Shoot Next Year With J.J. Abrams Possibly Directing?

Here’s a bit of news that’s a little hard to swallow. According to Zachary Quinto, who has played Spock in the last two Star Trek films, the next entry in the franchise could be filming as early as next year.

While attending the 2013 Galway Film Fleadh, he had the following to say about Star Trek‘s future: “Star Trek 3 should be filming, I suppose, next year. It’s going to be made a lot quicker than the last one. That’s the plan, although nothing is confirmed yet.” If this wasn’t unbelievable enough, he also goes on to add that J.J. Abrams could be returning to direct.

I’m sure all of my fellow trekkies and trekkers reading this are just as skeptical as I am. The latest entry in the franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness, just came out two months ago, so the prospect of the next film being ready to film next year seems rather absurd, not unless they crank out a screenplay post-haste and fly through pre-production in record time. You also have the fact that the first Abrams film came out in 2009, with the sequel finally beginning filming in 2012.

As to the possibility of J.J. Abrams’ return to direct the third installment, it also seems highly doubtful given the fact that his time is going to be taken up completely by his commitment to Star Wars: Episode VII. Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to see him return to the franchise that he has done brilliant things with, I just don’t see him having the time to do it, at least not anytime soon. Then there’s the fact that the 50th anniversary of the franchise is coming up in 2016, so you can be sure that Paramount’s going to want to have the film ready by then, which pretty much puts Abrams out of the running.

So all in all, you might want to take Quinto’s comments with a grain of salt and attribute them to his grand enthusiasm for the films. I love what Abrams, along with his cast and crew, have been doing for Star Trek. There was a time when the franchise seemed as though it was on its last leg, but they brought it back in a big way, giving it a fresh new start. A third film is inevitable, but as to who will direct it and when it will start filming, I believe we’re going to have to wait a while to find out.

What do you think of the possibility of Star Trek 3 filming next year? Do you think it could happen? Let us know in the comments below!

(Source: Digital Spy)