Deadline is reporting tonight that Roberto Orci has departed Star Trek 3. He’ll stay on board to produce, but the studio is now left without a director. So, who do they have their eye on? Why, none other than Edgar Wright!
While nothing is confirmed just yet, the Shaun of the Dead director is said to be Paramount’s first choice. There’s no telling if he’ll want to get involved in another huge blockbuster after his bad experience with Ant-Man, but he would certainly be a fantastic pick for the job. Not only has he worked with Simon Pegg (who plays Scotty in the Star Trek franchise) several times before, but his energetic and imaginative directing style would definitely benefit the series, especially after a rather underwhelming second outing.
The report from Deadline makes no mention of why Orci left, or who else the studio is looking at, but Edgar Wright is a very exciting choice and I think I can speak on behalf of most fans of the franchise when I say that hopefully he ends up in the director’s chair for Star Trek 3. If nothing else, it would be a nice consolation prize for him after the debacle with Marvel on Ant-Man.