Star Trek 3 2016 Release Date? Director Roberto Orci to Take Charge of New Movie Virnelli Mercader Jul 27, 2014 09:32 PM EDT

The latest installment in the ‘Star Trek’ franchise gets a new director as it gears up for a 2016 release. Sci-fi screenwriter Roberto Orci (Mission: Impossible III, The Amazing Spiderman 2) is slated to direct the wildly popular rebooted franchise, which he’s taking over from J.J. Abrams.

When asked what it was like being tapped to direct ‘Star Trek’ 3, Orci, in an interview with Latin Post during an exclusive premiere screening for ‘Matador’ said:

“I am about halfway through the script with a pair of talented, young writers named J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. I am running with them. It looks like I may direct it; I am in the middle of proving to Paramount that I am the guy for the job.”

“I was a fan of ‘Star Trek’ forever; my uncle got me into it. Like I said, I learned a lot of English from watching TV, and ‘Star Trek’ is one of the shows that I learned from watching,” he added.

When asked to reveal any teasers, Orci said, “What can I tell you? Well, fans are a little bit nutty, so I have to be careful with what I say, but I can tell you that it definitely takes place in [deep] space. They’re finally on their five year mission and that hasn’t been the case in any of the previous movies. The first two movies are set up to where the original series started.”

The third installment in the ‘Star Trek’ series is slated for a 2016 release to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the franchise.