Well, that was fast. Just one day after Fast & Furious helmer Justin Lin signed on to direct Star Trek 3, Paramount Pictures has set a release date for the anticipated threequel. Fans should mark their calendars for July 8th, 2016, two month’s before Star Trek‘s fiftieth anniversary.
It’s been an unexpectedly rocky road for Star Trek 3 since J.J. Abrams, who helmed 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, jumped ship to take the reins on a different sci-fi franchise in a galaxy far, far away. Producer Roberto Orci campaigned hard to land the gig, which would have been his directorial debut. After eventually landing the job, though, he was sacked over creative differences earlier this month.
Lin, a favorite for blockbuster fare due to his work resuscitating the Fast & Furious franchise, then came into consideration alongside Rise of the Planet of the Apes helmer Rupert Wyatt, The Imitation Game director Morten Tyldum, Safe House helmer Daniel Espinosa and Moon director Duncan Jones. His boarding the project has been largely received in a positive way by fans.
Personally, I’m glad that Lin has taken the reins from Orci. Though Orci has experience with the property and is a seasoned writer, it would have been an incredible feat for him to make Star Trek 3 as his first movie. Frankly, the film probably would have failed to match the standard of quality set by Abrams. Lin, however, is an interesting and obviously qualified choice. Star Trek Into Darkness wasn’t as well received by fans as the first entry in the rebooted series, so maybe Lin can pull another Fast & Furious-style trick and get the franchise back into everyone’s good graces.
The story for Star Trek 3 is still under wraps, but it will be a critical entry for the franchise. Star Trek Into Darkness ended with the USS Enterprise embarking on its voyage of discovery into the far reaches of outer space, which is about where the TV show began. Whatever story Star Trek 3 tells, it will be setting the tone for all future films in the series.
We’ll keep you posted as we hear more about the film closer to 2016.
