Release Date set for 'Star Trek 3' which Roberto Orci won't be Writing

When does Paramount go ahead and  completely do away with Roberto Orci's involvement with Star Trek 3? A few weeks ago he was removed as director of the film, which the studio is trying to have ready by the franchise's 50th anniversary celebration in 2016. That's a pretty big move to make with such a time crunch, and the rumors were that Orci's screenplay, written along with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, was the big problem. Now that Justin Lin has been brought on to replace him, Orci has revealed just how far his current involvement with the film goes, just as Paramount is feeling confident enough to set a firm release date.

First up, Star Trek 3 will beam into theaters on July 8th 2016. The sequel to Star Trek into Darkness is still untitled and apparently has some script issues to be ironed out. While making one of his frequent comments on the TrekMovie.com site, Orci revealed he's no longer writing the screenplay, saying...

""I'm producing. Nothing more or less."

But does that mean McKay and Payne are out, as well? The rumored plotline would have involved time travel, Vulcans, and a possible encounter with William Shatner as Captain Kirk. That all may be out the window now, but Orci still gets testy when longtime fans ask him about the decision to play with time travel and alternate timelines in the Star Trek universe. He replied to one commenter's question with....

“Stop blaming [Bad Robot]. It was my idea so that you would not know what was gonna happen next. Nothing more or less. I stand behind it. And it, again, is the reason why I make movies and you don’t.”

Orci's had a bad run of luck lately and it may be getting the better of him. Maybe it would be a good idea not to hang around the Star Trek message boards? 

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Roberto Orci says he's Still "Very Involved" with 'Star Trek 3'

Paramount has to get on their horse now if they want to get Star Trek 3 ready by 2016. That means finding a new director as word broke last week that Roberto Orci, a surprise choice to helm the film some months back, had exited the project. Reasons for it have ranged from his lack of directing experience to problems with the screenplay, but whatever the real cause is must not have been too bad because Orci claims he's still involved.

Orci made some comments over at Trek Movie, and in response to commenters said "I will be very involved :)", and yes that emoticon is his. It never really made much sense for Orci to be the choice for such a large studio film as he's never directed anything before; not commercials, short films, or anything to show what he can do. Whether Orci or Paramount admits it that had to factor in to the decision to find someone new, but it remains to be seen whether Edgar Wright will be the guy.

So what it sounds like is Orci will remain on board as a producer, and he'll probably have a hand in writing a new screenplay. The original one, which Orci says wouldn't have included any time travel, was apparently a major problem that forced Paramount to shut down production. Since then they've been trying to figure out the direction the story should take, and with Star Trek 3 marking the franchise's 50th anniversary it has to be something huge. That's another reason why this was too big of a film for Orci. Paramount can't trust a milestone film like this to anybody. Expect them to hire somebody of prominence for the job, somebody at least on Abrams' level.

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Edgar Wright sought for 'Star Trek 3' as Roberto Orci Exits

When Roberto Orci was named as director of Star Trek 3, taking over for his pal JJ Abrams who is busy Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it seemed like an odd choice. Orci has been a screenwriter on the franchise since the beginning and has been a part of numerous franchises, including The Amazing Spider-Man, but he had never been a director. It's not often a studio like Paramount will hand the reins to such a major tentpole to someone so untested, and maybe they've decided against it because Deadline reports Orci is no longer involved.

There aren't any details on exactly why Orci has exited the project, but the site says fan-favorite director Edgar Wright is on a shortlist to replace him. Given all of the headaches Wright recently went through on Marvel's Ant-Man before he exited, chances are he won't be interested in jumping into another studio film where his creativity may be stifled. But he did direct a Klingon scene in Star Trek into Darkness so maybe Wright would be more open to this job than others.

If Wright signs on then it would probably mean a delay for Baby Driver, which had been his next film and was supposedly being fast-tracked. Orci will stay on board Star Trek 3 as a producer, and the screenplay will remain intact, so there should be no problem for it to open in 2016 as planned. What does this do to Orci, though? This is the third high-profile departure he's had in the span of months. He left Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to pursue the Star Trek 3 gig, so what does he do next?

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Roberto Orci Exits 'Power Rangers'; Max Borenstein Returns to Pen 'Godzilla 2'; Gary Whitta Adapting 'Starlight'

That Power Rangers reboot everyone is dreading so excited about has lost exec-producer and franchise powerhouse Roberto Orci due to scheduling. It's not much of a surprise conflicts arose as he's set to make his directorial debut on Star Trek 3, which obviously is going to take priority. So where does this leave Power Rangers? Basically where it was before, with a pair of writers in Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class), a release date of July 22nd 2016, and nobody yet hired to direct it.

The Godzilla sequel is adding another familiar piece beyond director Gareth Edwards. Max Borenstein, who wrote that film as well as the King Kong prequel Skull Island, will return to hide Godzilla from us some more in the follow-up. We don't know much about the film other than its distant June 8th 2018 release date and that Legendary Pictures want to have Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidora in it. I keep stressing they did not "promise" to put them in it, just that they want to. Hopefully they'll find a way.

Mark Millar, the comics scribe behind Kick-Ass, Wanted, and Kingsman: The Secret Service, has another of his projects headed to the screen. 20th Century Fox picked up the rights to Millar's latest series, Starlight, last year before the first issue had even been published. Now they've added some impressive talent to get the adaptation going, hiring Gary Whitta to write the screenplay. Whitta previously wrote The Book of Eli and is currently working on Gareth Edwards' Star Wars spinoff. Starlight centers on former superhero Duke McQueen, who is called out of retirement to save the universe one last time. [THR]

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'Power Rangers' Movie Lands Roberto Orci and 'X-men: First Class' Screenwriters

Seriously though, was there anybody out there really worried about the creative direction of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie? Well, maybe our own +Julian Lytle but anybody else? Probably not, since the TV series barely seemed to have any writers to begin with and the prior movies even less so. But SOMEBODY has to help steer this thing, and Lionsgate has found a few people to help do that.

Roberto Orci, the guy who helped make The Amazing Spider-Man franchise underwhelming before leaving it totally, has come on as an exec-producer. Orci is expected to be at the helm of Star Trek 3 when that gets rolling, and he also co-wrote the first two Transformers screenplays. He won't be asked to pen the Power Rangers' latest adventure, though, as that job will go to X-men: First Class scribes Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller.

Still no clue who will direct it. Any ideas? [THR]

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Roberto Orci Exits 'The Amazing Spider-Man 3'; Timeline Still in Flux

How's this for screwy? The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has grossed $704M up to this point and is in the top highest-earning movies of 2014, and yet it's still considered a failure. To be fair it is the weakest of the bunch in terms of box office if we include Sam Raimi's trilogy. There have been rumblings of some tweaking in Sony's rather ambitious Spidey plans, which include Sinister Six and Venom films, and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 slated for June 2016. But as we heard recently, it's unclear when these movies will actually come out and in what order, and according to screenwriter Roberto Orci that confusion continues.

Speaking with IGN, Orci has confirmed he is "not officially involved" with The Amazing Spider-Man 3, presumably so he can focus on Paramount's Star Trek 3, which is expected to be his directorial debut. Orci had been part of the Spidey "brain trust" that included his former writing partner Alex Kurtzman and Drew Goddard. Kurtzman is still set to direct Venom, Goddard has his sights set on Sinister Six, and Marc Webb is returning to wrap up his run with The Amazing Spider-Man 3. Just because the names are in place doesn't mean anything else has been figured out, starting with the scheduling for all three films...

Orci:  “I don’t know what their plans are for that franchise.  I don’t ever want to say never, but we have to figure out what their scheduling is in terms of when they want each movie. I’ve read probably as much as anyone else. There’s a love for the Sinister Six, the idea of Venom — there’s an idea of Spider-Man’s going to be one of these characters that’s part of our business. He’s such a popular character. Spider-Man’s not going to go away any time soon. When it all happens and how and all that has yet to be determined.”

The big problem with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was that it felt like a set up movie for the spinoffs rather than a story focused on Peter Parker. That's one of the big problems with Sony planning so far ahead and it will be interesting to see they are able to correct course.

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'Star Trek 3' Will Be Directed by Roberto Orci

If Paramount plans on having Star Trek 3 ready by the franchise's 50th anniversary in 2016, they'll need to get the ball moving fast, and it looks like they are doing just that. Screenwriter Roberto Orci, who co-wrote the first two films directed by J.J. Abrams, expressed his desire some weeks ago to helm Star Trek 3. That was followed by word that he was the frontrunner, and now Variety reports the deal is done.

This is a bold move for Paramount entrusting the film to Orci who will be making his directorial debut. He's also come under fire of late with is former screenwriting partner Alex Kurtzman for their scripts on The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, not to mention Star Trek Into Darkness.

For Star Trek 3 Orci be joined by co-writers Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne who may be able to take some of the pressure off. The cast of the prior films is expected to return, of course.

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Roberto Orci in Talks to Direct 'Star Trek 3'

With J.J. Abrams leaving Star Trek's galaxy far far away for another in Star Wars: Episode VII, Paramount has been searching for somebody to take the reins. And with the plan to have Star Trek 3 ready by the franchise's 50th anniversary in 2016, the need was growing more urgent. A number of names were kicked around, including Attack the Block's Joe Cornish, but a few weeks ago screenwriter Roberto Orci throw his hat into the ring, and it looks like he's getting his wish.

Orci is in talks to direct Star Trek 3, and while it would be his directorial debut there's no doubt he's familiar with the franchise. With former writing partner Alex Kurtzman they wrote the prior Star Trek films, and they have a long history with a number of blockbuster franchises. Still, this would be a gutsy move for Paramount entrusting one of their major summer flicks to an unproven director.


Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne are co-writing the script with Orci, and while there are no plot details yet something needs to be done soon to have the film ready by 2016. [Deadline]

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Roberto Orci Wants to Helm 'Star Trek 3'; Splits from Big Screen Partner Alex Kurtzman

Wherever Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman go, big box offices tend to follow. The writing/producing duo have been behind some huge blockbusters over the years, from The Amazing Spider-Man, Star Trek, Transformers, Cowboys & Aliens, The Island....okay, maybe not those last two. There's no denying the impact they've had as a tandem, but it's coming to an end now as the duo is splitting up to pursue their own goals.

While they will remain television partners, Orci and Kurtzman are going their own way when it comes to feature films, and Orci is hoping to make a big splash. Variety reports he is pushing hard to direct Star Trek 3, which he is slated to co-write with Patrick McKay and John Payne. The hold-up appears to be Paramount who are understandably reluctant to hand such a major franchise to an unproven debut director. Orci has the support of J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, which may be enough to convince Paramount to take a chance. Kurtzman, on the other hand, has already helmed People Like Us and is set to co-write and direct Sony's Venom spinoff.

Orci and Kurtzman will continue to produce projects together but this split is a pretty big deal. It'll be interesting to see if they can survive as individuals.

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Spider-Man Producers Talk Spinning Off Sinister Six and Venom

Spider-Man's world is about to get a whole lot bigger, and with it so will Sony's franchise based on the wallcrawling superhero. Actually, their plans to expand his universe will no longer put Spidey in the center of things, instead focusing on some of his most notorious villains: Venom and the Sinister Six. Last year we learned that a talent collective had been put together to oversee the expansion. That "brain trust" includes writers Alex Kurtzman, Bob Orci, and Jeff Pinker, with Kurtzman directing Venom; and Drew Goddard who will script and direct Sinister Six. Creating spinoff films based on bad guys comes with its own unique challenges, and the producers spoke about how they planned to approach it.

Producer Matt Tolmach told SFX...

Tolmach: “It’s a challenge in every sense. Obviously questions of traditional hero/villain dynamics have to be looked at. At the same time it’s an awesome challenge, because some of the greatest characters are in fact villains, and how you construct that is so much fun. People love those bad characters if they’re good bad characters, and love to watch them. And nobody’s all good, nobody’s all bad, and so where we end up with that story, I think, is a really awesome challenge, and we all smile when we think about what you can do. It’s definitely a bad-ass group of people and I think it’s going to be a ton of fun to watch them."

The challenge is finding the right angle that these characters can be seen in a positive light. For a character like Venom, who in the comics has been a hero and a villain,  it comes by narrowing his focus a little bit and considering the man rather than the symbiote. Or at least that seems to be what Avi Arad is saying here...

Arad: “Venom hated only one guy – Spider-Man. He wasn’t innately bad, he was a shortcut guy, not really into fighting hard for achievement. That’s the Venom story. Can he also be a good guy? As you know, Venom was also called ‘lethal defender of the innocent’. We had a great history with him, especially caring for the homeless, which is a very sensitive issue and something that many of us are very concerned with. Our villains all represent a different side of the misunderstood, and some of them unfortunately turned to the dark side. Venom happened to be a phenomenal character. With Eddie Brock, or if you do Flash Thompson, it doesn’t matter who is going to be inside the suit – what’s important is that a man like him is going to realise there comes a time when you wake up in the morning and say ‘How did I get here? There must be a better way.’”

The issue they will face, and this is one Marvel has struggled with in the comics, is finding a way to maintain the edge that makes these characters cool while softening them just enough. It's an interesting experiment and one I'm looking forward to seeing play out.  Next up is The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which opens on May 2nd.

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Bob Orci Talks 'Venom', 'Sinister Six' Spinoffs and 'Spider-Man 4'; Plus New Images

How does one go about making a movie about a team full of super-villains? That's the problem faced by Sony and a creative think tank led by producers Bob Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Ed Solomon and Drew Goddard as they expand the Spider-Man universe with Venom and Sinister Six spinoffs. The announcement was revealed last month with the suggestion that The Amazing Spider-Man 4's focus would shift to the villains rather than on Peter Parker.

Bob Orci spoke to IGN about their future plans, and he spoke to whether the Sinister Six would be straight up bad guys or if they'll veer closer to anti-hero territory....

"That's the discussion we're having right now; how exactly do you do that, and how do you do it without betraying the audience and making them all mean? Drew Goddard [The Cabin in the Woods] is going to be writing that one, so it's kind of his problem. [Laughs] I'm kidding. We're all working on each other's stuff. So we want to be true to it, but there are some antiheroes in this day and age. There's been examples of that even on TV -- Vic Mackey on The Shield, one of the great antiheroes of all time. There are ways to milk that story. Audiences have seen everything. They've seen all the good guys who never do anything wrong. Is there a story in seeing the other side? That's the challenge, and that's the fun. I'm not sure how we're going to do that yet."

Kurtzman is directing the Venom film, with Orci and Solomon joining him on the script. Venom's story has been told before, most recently in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, but Orci seems to be planning something a little different...

"I think they're ready to have things shaken up. I think we've all seen everything. You've seen everything. You can probably predict the ending of most things even better than a general audience, but a general audience is still pretty good at it. They can see it all coming. So we have to shake it up. You can't just keep telling the same stories every day."

He also says that Oscorp, which had a hand in Spider-Man gaining his powers, will continue to be a factor, especially in the creation of his enemies...

"Oscorp plays an important part in how our villains get created, obviously, in the first one. So because Peter becoming Spider-Man came out of that, rather than saying, "And then this alien came from space," or whatever, they're doing human-hybrid, weird stuff at Oscorp. That's where Gwen Stacy works anyway as well. So the idea of it representing the good and the bad of science, that it can do great things, but it can also mess you up and do weird things and transform people -- as all science can be used for good or bad. So it's nice to have that organizing principal, but it wasn't like, "We must keep it at Oscorp." It flowed naturally from the story development."

And lastly, Orci says that we can expect The Amazing Spider-Man 4 to center on Spider-Man, or at least that's the intention. We'll begin to see the master plan unfold on May 2nd 2014 when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens, and here are a few pics to whet your appetite. [TotalFilm]

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Sony Expands Spider-Man Universe with Venom and Sinister Six Spinoffs

“I mean I’m under contract for another one after this… as far as a fourth one? That’s not anything to do with me."

That was what Andrew Garfield said just a few days ago when asked about the future of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, which Sony has mapped out through 2018 and a fourth movie based on Marvel wall-crawler. It was a surprising statement considering how much time and money had already been invested in him and the films, and some speculated it was all just a contractual ploy. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but it seems more clear than ever that the Spider-Man universe is expanding in a big way and moving away from the adventures of Peter Parker.

Sony is building their own Avengers-style cohesive world, which they hope will "forge a new legacy in the story of Peter Parker on screen."  Part of this expansion will be two spinoff movies; the first is the long-developing Venom film based on the Spidey villain last seen in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3. Josh Trank (Chronicle) had been circling it some time ago but it will be Alex Kurtzman directing, co-writing the script with his usual writing partner Bob Orci and Ed Solomon.

They've also secured The Cabin in the Woods' Drew Goddard to pen and possibly direct a movie based on the Sinister Six, the team of evil-doers expected to form in the next two movies. Goddard is also busy penning the Daredevil Netflix TV series for Marvel Entertainment, who are also backing Sony's overall plan.

As for the core Amazing Spider-Man movies? Sony still has hopes of Marc Webb returning to direct it, and have tapped Orci, Kurtzman, and Jeff Pinkner to write the screenplay with an eye towards a fall start date and release on June 10, 2016.

With this assembled group of talent Sony plans to develop an ongoing, overarching story spread across several movies. It already seemed like that was the direction they were heading. We can safely assume this has been the plan for some time as Webb has been hinting the fourth movie would be an ensemble rather than a Spider-Man focused story.

Big moves are being made, and it wouldn't be surprising if more announcements are made soon. What do you think? Does this is increase your excitement for The Amazing Spider-Man 2?

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Familiar Writers Hired to Script 'The Amazing Spider-Man 3'

It makes complete sense that Sony would want to keep intact as many pieces of their Amazing Spider-Man franchise as possible. They've moved ahead on the next three films, which THR says they hope will be directed by Marc Webb and encompass a larger, overarching story that could include the arrival of the Sinister Six. With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 set to open next year, the studio has decided to let its writers keep penning the further adventures of Peter Parker.

Uber-producers and blockbuster scribes Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Jeff Pinker have been brought back to write The Amazing Spider-Man 3. This was probably one of the easier decisions Sony has had to make as Orci and Kurtzman are a powerhouse duo who have worked on the Transformers and Star Trek franchises, which last time I checked made a little bit of money. Pinker has been running with them for awhile but mostly on small screen projects like Fringe and Alias.

So the Spidey machine keeps plugging away. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens on May 2nd 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man 3 arrives June 10th 2016.

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Jon M. Chu Rumored to Direct 'Star Trek 3'; Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman Penning Script

Despite Zachary Quinto's suggestions to the contrary, the chances of J.J. Abrams returning to direct Star Trek 3 are slim and none, and "slim" just went into hyperspace. Paramount really wants to have the film ready by 2016 and original series' 50th anniversary, and the only way that's going to happen is with a new director at the helm, and it sounds like they may be courting a few names.

A report over at Latino Review says Jon M. Chu, yes the guy behind the Step Up franchise and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, is a "contender" to take over the third Star Trek film. It's an intriguing choice, and his relationship with Paramount is clear, but he's already begun work on G.I. Joe 3, which the studio wants to get moving on as fast as possible. Chu has also been attached to a Masters of the Universe film which continues to progress slowly, so he's a popular guy who may just be too busy for a massive undertaking like Star Trek.

If Chu does take the job, he won't have to worry about new screenwriters coming in and messing with the established formula. Producers and franchise scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are returning to write the script,despite recent reports that had others being sought. 

As usual, take the Chu rumor with a grain of salt, especially considering the source. And for those who are worried about Abrams not being involved, he's still on board as a producer.

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Len Wiseman to direct 'The Mummy' reboot

Despite this summer's dull and tedious Total Recall remake mostly crapping the bed here in the States, the film actually did pretty well overseas. The $170M worldwide total is indicative of the trend when it comes to Len Wiseman-directed flicks. They tend to do average business here, while scoring big on the foreign market where  they love to watch mediocre American action movies. Wiseman's Underworld franchise fits into that category as well. But the fact remains he does make money, and Universal must be happy with him, because they've picked him to lead their reboot of The Mummy.

It was earlier this year we learned of the studio's plan to reboot the classic movie monster, with Transformers duo Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci producing. Jon Spaihts(Prometheus) would be writing the script, and the trio seemed to indicate Universal's plan to really move the ball forward with a fresh approach. The hiring of Wiseman sorta contradicts that, as he's not exactly a director I see as being especially creative.

There is some recent history between Orci, Kurtzman, and Wiseman as they're teaming up on a Sleepy Hollow pilot, so I'm sure that figured into the decision. Still, this blunts my excitement a thousand fold. Hopefully they'll make a smarter choice with their Van Helsing relaunch which has Tom Cruise attached. [Deadline]

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'Transformers' duo Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman to write 'The Amazing Spider-Man' sequel

When a movie needs to be REALLY big, you don't just turn to any old pair of writers. Not everybody can boast they've been behind such giant-sized flicks as Star Trek, Transformers, and Mission: Impossible III. Only Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman can. So when Sony runs out and hires the hit-making duo to pen the script for the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, they're making a very clear statement.

James Vanderbilt, who shares writing credits on the upcoming Marc Webb-directed flick, was hired to start work on the sequel screenplay in March of last year. With his job done, it's up to Orci and Kurtzman to do a rewrite, and expect them to not just punch it up a bit. They'll likely uppercut the damn thing into the stratosphere. That doesn't mean it'll be good, mind you. They do bear some responsibility for the atrocity that was Cowboys & Aliens.

The only question that remains is Webb, who isn't locked in for a follow-up. The Amazing Spider-Man opens on July 3rd, while the sequel hits on May 2nd 2014.

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