In 2009, fan favourite filmmaker J.J. Abrams achieved the seemingly impossible, delivering a reboot of the classic Star Trek roster to both critical and commercial acclaim, as well as making Trek relevant once again in the eyes of the general moviegoing public. This year he followed it up with the sequel Star Trek Into Darkness, which - despite splitting audiences - managed to outperform its predecessor at the box office, before announcing he was jumping ship to Hollywood's other iconic space series Star Wars, signing on to direct the first instalment of Disney's eagerly-anticipated Sequel Trilogy.
Both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness wear their Star Wars influences on their sleeves (just watch the Kronos chase sequence in Into Darkness... you can almost hear the John Williams score), and lens-flare issues aside, it's hard to argue that Abrams isn't the right man for the job when it comes to Star Wars: Episode VII. He may have only directed four movies (the others being Mission: Impossible III and Super 8), but he's already proven he can handle big budget spectacle, mixing action and humour to great effect, whilst delivering a dramatic, edge-of-your-seat experience (something sorely absent from George Lucas' Prequel Trilogy). In terms of Episode VII, we've had very little in the way of news about the film, save for the fact that John Williams will once again provide the score, and that Abrams is currently revising the script with The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark scribe Lawrence Kasdan. Oh, and R2-D2 will be back, but you can't have Star Wars without Artoo, can you? Meanwhile, it's also expected that Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) will reprise their roles from the Original Trilogy, while if you believe everything you read online, virtually every actor and actress in Hollywood has tested for a role. But, with filming due to begin early next year, the wait for some official casting news must surely soon be over...
While Abrams ploughs through pre-production on Star Wars:Episode VII, executives at Paramount Pictures now face the unenviable task of finding a replacement for the director's chair on Star Trek 3 (or Star Trek XIII, if you're still going by old money). Abrams himself is still involved in a producing capacity, while the studio has tapped the returning Roberto Orci to pen the script alongside Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne; however, Paramount still needs someone to steer the ship, and with alleged front-runner Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) reportedly no longer under consideration, the studio will have to move fast if Star Trek 3 is to meet its planned 2016 release date, which would mark the 50th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry's creation. If you missed Star Trek Into Darkness, or if you just want to relive the action again, NOW TV Movie subscribers can now watch the film on demand.
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
