Deadline has just reported that everybody’s favorite Hollywood producer Roberto Orci (Get it? Because he isn’t?) is no longer directing the third installment of the current Star Trek film franchise. Furthermore, everyone’s favorite director Edgar Wright (Not sarcasm) is at the top of a short list to take over.
Trek fans will be partying pretty hard tonight. You know, more than usual.
It has been an interesting year for Orci. After splitting up with longtime partner Alex Kurtzman, Orci was assigned director of Star Trek and producer of 2016’s Power Rangers. We are less than a month away from the New Year and Orci is out of both projects. He and Kurtzman are still working together on TV with Sleepy Hollow, however.
Star Trek 3 would have been Orci’s first time directing a film, of any kind. Although he’s been everywhere in Hollywood, directing he has never done. Not even a commercial or a music video, and earlier this year he was given the keys to dad’s sports car. Not to discount that amazing opportunity, I would fight tooth and nail to defend that decision if it were given to me. But as the circumstances of Orci’s departure are unknown, one can only speculate what caused Paramount (or anyone calling the shots) to blink.
Edgar Wright’s involvement is still up in the air, but can we take a moment to imagine how banging of a job he could do? Forget that Simon Pegg is a part of the Enterprise and their director/actor relationship in a major film would be glorious to see. No, just remember who Edgar Wright is. His visual language. Now put that in space. This is a total 180 from how I felt about Star Trek 3 before today.
However, Roberto Orci will stay on as producer and maintain some writing credit.
UPDATE: Badass Digest is saying Orci was out because of the script.
From Badass Digest:
[UPDATE: I’ve been in touch with some folks and it seems like the script was one of the problem factors. Paramount shut the production down last month, sending home all the design people while they battled over the direction of the screenplay. I imagine all this stuff is gone now]