Paramount Narrows Down ‘Star Trek 3’ Director Shortlist
Boy, when they named the last ‘Star Trek’ movie ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ they weren’t kidding. The finished film received decent reviews from critics, but did only so-so in theaters, and quickly became Trekkies’ least-favorite movie in the franchise’s near-50-year history. (Yes, they hated it even more than ‘Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.’) As the series began to move ahead with ‘Star Trek 3,’ the franchise lost its director, J.J. Abrams, to its bitter rival ‘Star Wars,’ and then lost his replacement, Roberto Orci. Why did Orci leave? I don’t know; I’m a doctor, not a high-powered Hollywood agent, dammit! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
Things are not looking great for Kirk, Spock, and Bones, but Paramount still wants to continue the ‘Star Trek’ reboot series regardless, and so they’re currently searching for a new filmmaker to take over the helm or assume command of the ship or other assorted ‘Star Trek’ puns for directing. According to Deadline, the latest shortlist is down to five contenders: Rupert Wyatt, of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ frame; Morten Tyldum, director of ‘The Imitation Game’; Daniel Espinosa, who made the Denzel Washington thriller ‘Safe House’; the ‘Fast and Furious’’ Justin Lin, who’s looking for something to replace his delayed ‘Bourne Legacy’ sequel; and Duncan Jones, a sci-fi expert who directed ‘Moon,’ ‘Source Code,’ and the upcoming ‘Warcraft.’
Wyatt certainly has the chops to make a big, effects-heavy action movie (though whether he has the chops to make one with ‘Trek’’s requisite blend of action, intelligence, and quippy humor is a little less clear). Lin would be an interesting choice too, as there are certain parallels that could be drawn between the crew of the Enterprise and the “family” of ‘Fast and Furious.’ (Diesel is Kirk, though I’m not sure who the Spock in this situation would be; maybe Tyrese.) I’m still not sure, though, why Paramount doesn’t return to the first guy who they’d targeted for this film, ‘Attack the Block’’s Joe Cornish, who eventually lost the gig to Orci. He still seems like the best pick to me.
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