Until cloning is perfected, directors will only be able to helm one film at a time. This is too bad for JJ Abrams, because even though he’s got three thousand productions in development, he’s now going to have to step down from directing Star Trek 3 because he’ll be too busy helming Star Wars.
This isn’t a surprise, because Paramount will want another Star Trek in the pipeline as soon as possible, and there have indeed been succession questions over the next movies. As Giant Robot and Collider report, Abrams has indeed confirmed that he’ll be too focused on the next Star Wars, and will have to step down from the Enterprise.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Abrams said. “But I will say that I’m going to be producing the movie. Whomever it is that directs the film will be someone we all know is going to keep the cast and crew in good hands. I feel very lucky to have been part of it, and it definitely feels like the right time to let someone come in and do their own thing. We want to hire someone who’s gonna come in and bring their own sensibility. I’m very excited to see what comes next…”
No official word yet on who could take over the director’s chair, but here’s hoping Star Trek can be reinvented yet again by a fresh set of eyes, much like Abrams revitalized the franchise for the 2009 version. We also hope Abrams’s fresh eyes on the Star Wars franchise will bring much needed fresh blood to Lucas’s iconic space opera.