With new writers on board and a 2016 date locked in to commemorate the 50th anniversary of STAR TREK, we now have learned that the top named contender to direct the sequel to STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS is no longer in the running.
Up to now, the name most consistently associated with STAR TREK 3 was ATTACK THE BLOCK director Joe Cornish. Cornish, a friend and collaborator of Edgar Wright‘s, seemed a nice choice to take over for J.J. Abrams who is busy at work on STAR WARS: EPISODE VII. Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof also departed as writers on STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS and were replaced by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay who will co-wrote with Roberto Orci.
With all of their ducks in a row, it is a mystery as to why Cornish is no longer involved. We don’t even know for sure if the gig was offered to him, but Variety reports simply that after being in talks with Skydance and Bad Robot that Cornish is no longer part of the equation. Cornish does still have a working relationship with Paramount as he has been named as the director for the long in development movie based on the book SNOW CRASH, but there has not been much news on that front either.
If STAR TREK 3 is going to stay on track for a 2016 release, a director will need to be found soon as pre-production would likely need to start next year for filming to commence in 2015.