j.j. Abrams Not Committed to ‘Star Trek’ Sequel

Following the success of this year’s ‘Star Trek’, it seems like a no-brainer to reunite the same creative team behind the youthful voyage on the Enterprise. Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are already working on the script for the sequel; J.J. Abrams is still unsure about returning for another round. In an interview with collider.com, Orci and Kurtzman address the box-office success of ‘Star Trek’, the timeline for the finished script for the next ‘Star Trek’ (Christmas), along with the news that Abrams has not committed to a sequel.

Abrams, the creative mind behind successful television series Felicity, Alias and Lost, has had a good amount of experience in the movie industry, and has proven that he can produce a successful movie. If he does not return for the sequel, it might be due to a busy work schedule. If you think there is an absence of gigantic movie monsters, you’re hoping there’s a Cloverfield sequel in the planning stages. Or possbily a new television project. Most likely, Abrams schedule is largely dedicated to work on Mission: Impossible 4 or The Dark Tower. However, if you enjoyed the recent ‘Star Trek’ movie, this might be a cause for concern. Attempting to recreate the same movie-going experience with a new director could prove to be a challenge.

Which contemporary directors could meet the challenge? Maybe Christopher Nolan. Possibly Bryan Singer. Well, it might not matter if J.J. Abrams returns to direct, which is the most likely outcome. A $235 million box-office speaks loudly in the ear of a in-demand director.

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'Star Trek' Sequel Will Deal With 'Unpredictable Future'

When J.J. Abrams and his team first signed on to resurrect "Star Trek," Hollywood insiders questioned whether sci-fi fans still cared about the franchise. After a $76.5 million opening this past weekend the previous franchise record-holder was "First Contact" with a mere $30 million — you can consider "Trek" successfully rebooted. And as you read this, a whole new series of sequels are being planned for this new alternate reality.

"One of the obstacles that we found ourselves butting up against [when we took on the job] was this idea that we already knew the fate of the characters," writer/producer Alex Kurtzman told us of the newly established parallel "Trek" dimension, forever altered by the reckless actions of time-travelling villain Nero (Eric Bana). "If you're going to bring a whole new iteration of 'Trek' to life, you could never put them in any real danger — because you already know how they either died or lived. So, we felt like, all right, we have to find a way to make the future unpredictable, so whenever they're in these difficult, treacherous situations there truly is the risk of death."

Word already leaked more than a month ago that at least one "Trek" sequel is in the works, and the series' gatekeepers confirmed to us that such memorable characters as Khan Noonien Singh and Dr. Tolian Soran are among the many characters whose life courses may have been altered by the events of the new film.

"All the characters who existed in the universe or canon we grew up with are essentially still around in some capacity," Kurtzman explained. "But their lives have been altered, so they may again intersect with our crew."

"There's a deal in place with the writers and the actors," Abrams said recently of "Trek" sequel plans, explaining that all the key actors are under contract to return. "If people like this movie, and there's a demand for another one, we would be happy to work on it."

Well, they certainly did — and Kurtzman and his writing partner Roberto Orci (who also collaborated on the upcoming "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen") told us that their minds are already swimming with sequel possibilities.

"I don't think we ever need to talk about time travel again," Orci explained, saying that Leonard Nimoy and other "original universe" cast members will likely be unnecessary from here on out. "In fact, in the end of the movie, the device that allows time travel is destroyed. So we're stuck with this universe we're in now."

"Now we're in this new world," Kurtzman agreed. "And we're just gonna have to live through the unpredictable future."

As for ideas in that universe, Orci explained: "We've had a couple of really preliminary conversations, but we really didn't want to [get ahead of ourselves], because this isn't something we invented. We wanted to see what fans think of the first one; let's see what works, and what people think is the best in what we've done. And then we can take that into account when we think about the next movie."

Asked how soon they'd start writing the "Trek" sequel if the first one is announced as a hit the Monday after opening weekend, Orci said: "That day."

"I'm already going back and reading some of the books I've missed," he said of "Trek" tales and fan-fiction that have been written in past years, which could be reinterpreted for their new universe. "I'm trying to read every 'Star Trek' book I can get my hands on. We did that a lot for the first movie. ... I'm starting to re-immerse myself again in what's come before."

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Star Trek Coming Back To Television?

Bryan Fuller, creator of the TV show Pushing Daisies and a former Star Trek writer and producer, is pushing for a new Star Trek TV series. The new Star Trek TV show would be based on "old style" Star Trek, rather than the more recent incarnations and variations: Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise and Star Trek: The Next Generation. There hasn't been a Star Trek TV series since Enterprise was cancelled after four seasons in 2005.

In an interview with iF Magazine about Pushing Daisies, Fuller said:

"I told my agent and told the people of J.J. Abrams' team I want to create another Star Trek series and have an idea that I’m kicking around. I would love to return to the spirit of the old series with the colours and attitude. I loved Voyager and Deep Space Nine, but they seem to have lost the ‘60s fun and I would love to take it back to its origin."

Previously, talking to MTV, Fuller talked about his ambition to resurrect Star Trek on TV and why he thought it had grown stale.

"Somehow, it got cold over the years. I love Next Generation, but it’s a little cooler and calmer than the ones from the ‘60s, which were so dynamic and passionate. Deep Space Nine was the best of the modern ones, because it was so emotionally complicated. Enterprise was the most sterile of all of them, when it should have been the most fun. Star Trek has to recreate itself. Otherwise, all the characters start to feel the same. You always have a captain, a doctor, a security officer, and you have the same arguments based on those perspectives. It starts to feel too familiar. So all those paradigms where it takes place on a starship have to be shaken up."

Fuller wrote twenty one Star Trek episodes over four years, two in Deep Space Nine's final season, and the rest for Voyager. He also produced Voyager's last season.

I would love to see a new Star Trek TV show, especially a good one. While I like some of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Patrick Stewart, and the occasional episode of Deep Space Nine, a lot of the recent Star Trek didn't impress me at all.

Perhaps J.J. Abrams can take over the franchise if his upcoming reboot is successful. A Star Trek TV show with the style and impact of Fringe or Lost would be excellent. Although hopefully it would be a lot less confusing than Lost.

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