Justin Lin brought on to direct Star Trek 3

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Whoa, I feel like I just lost the audience. (Come back, Trekkies, this is for you!)

How about: a not-so-long time ago in a galaxy as close as your average movie theater? No? Still not working for you, eh?

Let’s try this one more time:

“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

And now, shortly after Roberto Orci exited the Star Trek 3 project, Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6) will boldly go into the director’s chair for the newest installment of the franchise.

While the Fast franchise may be lacking in story quality, it more than makes up the difference with jaw dropping action and incredible set pieces. I’m not worried at all that the action for ST3 could fall short; I doubt it’s possible with Mr. Lin at the helm.

I find further assurance in knowing that Lin has been referred to as the man who “single-handedly” revived the Fast and Furious franchise. If he truly was the driving force behind four movies that grossed $1.9 billion at the global box office, it’s doubtful he would be apt to drop the ball on something as career-impacting as Star Trek.

My true hesitation lies in the fact that he has a large chair to fill; J.J. Abrams’ treatment of the Star Trek universe was both respectful and fresh. His movies spoke to old fans and reached new ones. J.J. Abrams is the current god of the nerds for the film industry, and it’s somewhat difficult to let him go after the fun twists he’s brought to Star Trek.

Justin Lin is no stranger to big challenges or big franchises. I don’t want to compare directors as each brings different strengths to the table and have different obstacles to tackle. I have faith if Lin has a good team of writers to work with who will be fair to the story and the characters, we will not be disappointed with what appears on the movie screen.

 

While yet unnamed, Star Trek 3 will be visited upon theaters July 8, 2016.