4. Who Directs Star Trek 3?
With JJ Abrams readying to go to that galaxy far, far away, it seems very likely that another filmmaker will be sitting in the director's chair for
Star Trek 3 (not the official title). According to Abrams' producing partner Bryan Burk, the third installment of the rebooted franchise is currently on
track to hit theaters in 2016 in order to commemorate 50 years of
Star Trek. With
Star WarsEpisode VII scheduled for a summer 2015 release, it would be nearly impossible for Abrams to direct both anticipated sequels unless he's a machine or something. He will still be involved with
Star Trek 3 as a producer, though. Of course, this will lead to wild speculation among moviegoers as to who should direct the
Into Darkness follow-up. One name I think makes a lot of sense is Brad Bird. After having enormous success at Pixar (directing
The Incredibles and
Ratatouille to Oscar gold), he made the move to live action in 2011 and didn't miss a beat. His
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was one of the biggest hits - critically and commercially - of that year. Everyone who saw it seemed to enjoy it. And he made that film with Paramount and Bad Robot, so there's some history here. Plus, Bird seems like a guy who would be able to maintain the tone of the new
Star Trek series, which emulates the original
Star Wars trilogy. His next film,
Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney and Hugh Laurie is intended for a December 2014 release so unless Bird picks up a new project between now and then he should be free. Again, his history with Abrams makes him a logical choice to boldly go where Abrams has gone before.