As long as Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman are attached to write new Star Trek movies, I have no faith in the franchise. While they’ll likely be on board in some capacity for years to come (sigh), it looks like a new writing duo is coming on board for Star Trek 3. According to Badass Digest, screenwriters Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class) are close to a done deal on penning the next Star Trek movie. Miller and Stentz are in the Bad Robot family from their work as writers and producers on Fringe, and their Trek bonafides are marginally boosted by their work on Andromeda, a series based on unused material by the late Gene Roddenberry.

Hit the jump for more including the rumor that J.J. Abrams might drop out of directing Star Wars: Episode VII.

Before you get too excited about new writers joining Star Trek 3, Badass reports that Orci and Kurtzman are still attached as writers, and they were “instrumental” in pushing for Miller and Stentz. The level of Orci and Kurtmzan’s involvement in the script is unknown, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had some input into the story (“How about the Enterprise goes back in time to save…um…dolphins!”). Paramount reportedly wants the movie in theaters by 2016 to mark Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, so work on the script is expected to commence very soon.

In a marginally related story, Star Wars: Episode VII may need a new director. Badass Digest is hearing rumors from multiple sources that Abrams is close to dropping out of the highly anticipated sequel. Abrams protested against shooting the movie in England (presumably because he didn’t want to be away from his family for so long), but was overruled by the studio. Although this decision wasn’t recent, the rumors of his leaving the project continue to percolate. Badass says these rumors will merit more serious consideration if there’s no announcement of any kind at Germany’s Star Wars celebration regarding Episode VII and Abrams isn’t present. It’s worth noting that if Abrams chooses to leave Episode VII, that doesn’t mean he’s automatically going back to Trek. He’s a highly in-demand director, and I’d expect he would have a wide variety of projects to choose from should he leave Star Wars.