9. But...Star Trek
The real surprise of Abrams directing is that he's already involved with the Star Trek franchise, having directed two films, and until yesterday, being assumed to eventually direct a third, which is naturally now up in the air. It doesn't take a fan of either of these franchises to know that Trekkies and Star Wars fans are diametrically opposed from conception; they're rival sci-fi franchises, and ones which tend to appeal to two very different types of nerd. The issue with Abrams directing both Star Trek and Star Wars films is that it limits the vision of these stories; there is the very real possibility that it will homogenise the franchises into something that is just too similar, when the pleasure of them is that they're vastly different and therefore tend to appeal to different folk. The idea of putting the directorial control of two of pop culture's most iconic franchises into the hands of one man seems like a dangerous gamble; how many directors are capable of crafting two films from the same genre that are starkly different? Granted, if Abrams can pull it off, he just might be able to bring harmony to the Trek vs Wars feud. Wait, who are we kidding? The nerds will be comparing the Rotten Tomatoes scores of Abrams' Trek and Wars films for years to come...