The process of bringing a third installment to Paramount’s rebootedStar Trek franchise has been a bit more turbulent than most. Recently screenwriter-turned-first time director Roberto Orci left the project to be replaced by Justin Lin. And now there are some shakeup in the writing department with franchise co-star Simon Pegg coming in to help with the script.
According to Deadline, Pegg will be working with Doug Jung, creator of the TNT series Dark Blue, on what sounds like a new from the ground up story for the threequel, the previous work done by Orci being discarded.
Pegg currently co-stars in the franchise as Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott of the USS Enterprise, a role originated by James Doohan for the original 1960s Star Trek TV series. He, of course, has co-scripted his on-screen collaborations with director Edgar Wright – Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and The Wold’s End. Does this mean that Star Trek 3 will carry a lighter tone? Possibly, though I wouldn’t say that it would be a flat out comedy. While the last film clearly reworked the 1982 classic Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, I don’t see the new film being a remake of the Original Series episode “The Trouble With Tribbles.”
Currently the film is set for a July 8, 2016 release but it may be that this new round of scripting will lead to a production delay which could push that date back.
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