7. Shane Black
Hot off the near billion dollar box office of Iron Man 3, Shane Black is now one of the most successful directors in Hollywood. That gets you noticed, and I doubt there are too many people above him on Paramount's list that they would love to get to direct a Star Trek 3. Especially considering the that Iron Man 3 was the last Marvel movie to have Paramount on as distributors, it is not farfetched to think that they would want to sign him up for one of the biggest priorities. On the surface Shane Black would be a great fit, now having proven he can be successful at a blockbuster level, and also that his signature banter would be a perfect match for Kirk and Spock's sparring. However, there are reason Shane Black may not be able to do a Star Trek film. Two of them in fact. He has been announced as the director of Doc Savage and the American adaption of Death Note. He has committed to these projects and both are major stumbling blocks for Paramount if they want to get Black on board. Granted neither of those films are destined to be as big as Star Trek 3 but it could involve two expensive severance packages or at least a major bit of reworking to make it happen. Also, after the success of Iron Man 3, it is not entirely clear if Black is ready to take on another big franchise's third instalment.
Pros: Hot property, Great match with material, Proven he can step into established franchise and make a success
Cons: Death Note, Doc Strange, Rejigging schedules, Severance packages, May want to go smaller
Grade: C