Update: Or, maybe not. IGN received a statement from Lucasfilm, who say, “There is no truth to the rumor. JJ is having a great time working on the script and is looking forward to going into production next year.” The original story can be read below.
Even speaking as one who was content to sit through Star Trek Into Darkness, it’s increasingly clear that Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof are not a proper fit for this particular space adventure which starts with the word “star.” (More on that in a minute.) No matter the potential reasons — I’m not “on the inside” with these things, and I’m not in the habit of making a guess — it sounds like this team are due for a shake-up on the third, developing installment.
With a departure supposedly in the cards, BadassDigest have learned that the 21st-century Enterprise’s third go-round is about to sign its scribes: Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller, two of many writers responsible for big-budget productions such as X-Men: First Class and Thor, as well as — with their work on Fringe — Bad Robot veterans. Orci and Kurtzman haven’t been taken off the project, however, and what hand they have in this title will remain to be seen — if we ever learn with real certainty. No matter the writers, expect Star Trek 3 to arrive in 2016, right in time for the original series’ 50th anniversary.
This second item is a matter of speculation — and we all know how hard it can be to pin down speculation — though a few whispers have suggested that J.J. Abrams will back off from Star Wars: Episode VII. Some with a connection or two would even say he’s “on the verge of dropping out,” a statement which is (in a relative sense) supported by comic book artist Rob Liefeld and others. Hushed tones notwithstanding, critic Ali Arikan claims that no such thing is happening; a German Star Wars event, to be held this Saturday, will bring Abrams‘ own (video) presence and casting announcements, the kind of thing that doesn’t typically lean toward a leave. Unless his announcement is one of relatively ambivalence and he finds a way to leave in the weeks to come… but, we’ll see.
What do you think of this writers swing? Does the Abrams news instill any concern?