J.J. Abrams Won't Direct the Next Star Trek
J.J. Abrams will not direct the next movie in the Star Trek series, though he plans to stay involved in the franchise.
!!!!!
Called it!
He probably needed to clear the last movie’s BluRay release before he made made it public.
Not sure if this will be good or bad for the next film, but I think it’s definitely good for the future of the franchise. J.J. has an approach to sci-fi that is much more at home in the Star Wars universe. Him doing the recent Trek movies has seemed to me like some kind of deal with the devil – you get a beautiful, action-packed romp through a universe that is approximate to Trek, boosting mainstream awareness and affection for the franchise, but you give up the soul of what made it such a compelling story to begin with.
What Star Trek needs now is someone to take the helm that respects and appreciates the humanistic side of Trek. Someone who is an actual fan. And with J.J. taking a back seat, there may be room for that.
Or of course, the next film could end up directed by some yes-man-J.J.-wannabe who will crash it into the ground, leaving the franchise untouchable for the foreseeable future.
But here’s hoping J.J.’s waning involvement and attention will pave the way for better, more thoughtful Trek in the years to come.