Whether or not you like their stuff, you can’t deny the success of Roberto Orci and his writing partner Alex Kurtzman. They are responsible for the likes of the first two Transformers movies, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission Impossible III and most recently The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Combined; their works have pulled in billions of dollars. And now, the writing duo have decided to go their separate ways.
Both writers are making the shift into directing, and while Kurtzman has already one movie in his resume, (he directed People Like Us) Orci is lobbying hard to get his ass on the directors chair for Star Trek 3. With J.J. Abrams in a galaxy far, far away and Joe Cornish deciding to do something else instead of getting involved in the middle of a franchise, Orci isn’t necessarily a sure thing. While Abrams has given his blessing, Paramount Pictures, according to Variety, are being cautious.
Obviously there is nothing wrong with giving a guy a chance, but with a franchise like Star Trek and a mixed reaction to the last one (even though we liked it ourselves) they can’t really afford a misstep on the next one.
