--- description: The writer has been tapped to replace J.J. Abrams as the director for the upcoming installment of the "Star Trek" franchise title: "Star Trek 3" has a new director image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfa146712685f60f7/69868f403617604a9390bfd8/roberto-orci.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Roberto Orci to Direct _Star Trek 3_ by [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 14, 2014 12:52 PM CUT  Roberto Orci attends the 2014 PaleyFest presentaion of "Sleepy Hollow" at Dolby Theatre on March 19, 2014 in Hollywood. Roberto Orci attends the 2014 PaleyFest presentaion of "Sleepy Hollow" at Dolby Theatre on March 19, 2014 in Hollywood.Paul Archuleta—FilmMagic/Getty Images by [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 14, 2014 12:52 PM CUT It looks like _Star Trek 3_ is [heading in another](http://variety.com/2014/film/news/roberto-orci-to-direct-star-trek-3-1201180140/ "undefined") direction. _Variety_ reports that the third installment of the franchise’s latest trilogy will not be directed by J.J. Abrams like the previous two films, but by first-time director Roberto Orci. Known more as a screenwriter of big budget Hollywood movies—he’s responsible for penning the scripts to _The Legend of Zorro, The_ _Amazing Spider-Man 2_, two _Transformers_ movies, and the last pair of _Star Trek_ films—Orci will now have the chance to sit in the director’s chair. As Abrams has been tapped to direct the brand-new _Star Wars_ film, Paramount and Skydance needed a replacement, and Orci proved to be the lucky candidate. He will also be penning the film’s script, along with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Meanwhile, fans of Abrams needn’t worry too much: the director is reportedly still on board as a producer. Details on the film’s premise are scant, though _Variety_ reports that both Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are expected to reprise their roles as Kirk and Spock, respectively. \[[_Variety_](http://variety.com/2014/film/news/roberto-orci-to-direct-star-trek-3-1201180140/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/98916/roberto-orci-star-trek-3/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/98916/roberto-orci-star-trek-3/"},"headline":"Roberto Orci to Direct Star Trek 3","datePublished":"2014-05-14T12:52:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:49:33.709Z","description":"The first-time director who's known better for writing the screenplays of Hollywood blockbusters, like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and two Transformers movies, reportedly replaces J.J. Abrams for the third installment","url":"https://time.com/98916/roberto-orci-star-trek-3/","keywords":["movies","Star Trek"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfa146712685f60f7/69868f403617604a9390bfd8/roberto-orci.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan Gibson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfa146712685f60f7/69868f403617604a9390bfd8/roberto-orci.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Roberto Orci attends the 2014 PaleyFest presentaion of \"Sleepy Hollow\" at Dolby Theatre on March 19, 2014 in Hollywood.","caption":"Roberto Orci attends the 2014 PaleyFest presentaion of \"Sleepy Hollow\" at Dolby Theatre on March 19, 2014 in Hollywood.","creditText":"Paul Archuleta—FilmMagic/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/98916/roberto-orci-star-trek-3/","name":"Roberto Orci to Direct Star Trek 3"}}]}] ```