In a surprising Friday evening bombshell, Roberto Orci is no longer captaining Star Trek 3...but Edgar Wright might be!
In news that is sure to shake the Internet’s universe, from the Federation enthusiasts to those folks who have taught themselves Klingon, it has been confirmed that Roberto Orci will not be helming Star Trek 3.
After a long and deliberate campaign on Orci’s part to board the Enterprise’s bridge for the third entry in the rebooted franchise, whispers started cropping up in at least the last day that not all was right at Paramount. Now, just in time for the classic Friday evening bad news dump, Deadline was able to confirm that Orci is no longer helming Star Trek 3 in its ongoing mission. Furthermore, it appears that of all people, Edgar Wright is on the studio’s shortlist to replace the prolific scribe in the captain’s chair.
Orci has been attached to Star Trek since the 2009 J.J. Abrams-directed reboot, which Orci co-wrote with his long-time writing and producing partner Alex Kurtzman. In addition to also producing and penning last summer’s Star Trek Into Darkness, their writing credits have included The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Cowboys & Aliens, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Orci had publicly campaigned to make Star Trek 3 his directorial debut after Abrams jumped ship for the hyper-drive of Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Further, Orci passed on the chance of helming Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at Lionsgate so that he could pilot this starship into theaters.
It is obviously unclear what caused the split, but we suspect that Paramount may be feeling less ready for a first-time director as pre-production went on.
That the project may now be headed up by Wright, who himself was exiled from his Ant-Man film by the Abrams-luring Disney earlier this year, is also of a potentially special irony.
While it is unfortunate for Orci, I imagine many in the fan community are already affirming, “Make it so!”
Orci will remain on Star Trek 3 as a producer.
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