Is it too easy to say that the Star Trek franchise is looking to get more fast and furious with the third movie of its franchise reboot? (It is, and I apologize.)
The new version of the Star Trek films suffered a setback when the director of the first two installments, J.J. Abrams, left to helm the next Star Wars film, The Force Awakens (or Episode VII). Paramount looked at other filmmakers (Joe Cornish, Jon Chu, Rupert Wyatt) to take over the project before producer and screenwriter Roberto Orci convinced the studio to let him have the gig.
However, though Orci has been phenomenally successful in his roles in both film and TV, directing was new to him. Giving him the keys to a big-budget tentpole like Star Trek was a risk. Perhaps even more so, with grumblings that Paramount thought the new Trek films underperformed and weren’t the global hit the studio envisioned. Appearing overwhelmed, Orci was gently pushed out and a new director was sought.
http://youtu.be/I_WO0k7VkT0
A proven track record is likely why Justin Lin is now helming Star Trek 3. The man has made billions of dollars for Universal with his four Fast & Furious films and has been looking to hop onto another big property like the Bourne franchise before Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass decided to revive Jason Bourne. So it’s off to the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Lin can undoubtedly bring the action, as he’s demonstrated with his Fast & Furious success. But one of the beefs with the new Star Trek films is that they haven’t been true to the big-idea, thinking man’s science fiction that Gene Roddenberry championed with the original TV show, favoring fistfights, shootouts and chases instead.
Personally, I get that complaint, though I’ve liked the energy of Abrams’ Star Trek films. Star Trek Into Darkness just suffered from a poor script and too much effort put into obscuring Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, when everyone knew he would be Captain Kirk’s arch-enemy, Khan. Lin looks like a safe choice to me, but hopefully he brings something new to the franchise.
UPDATE: Paramount has announced a July 8, 2016 release date for Star Trek 3.
