According to Deadline, Roberto Orci, co-writer of Star Trek (2009) and Into Darkness, is no longer directing the third film in Paramount’s reboot trilogy. Orci had originally been set to direct after J.J. Abrams was announced as the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Orci’s frequent collaborator, Alex Kurtzman, is still involved in Sony’s ongoing Amazing Spider-Man films and spinoffs.
Roberto Orci will still be involved with Star Trek 3 as a producer. Paramount has not officially announced a replacement, though Deadline lists former Ant-Man director Edgar Wright as a possibility. Wright might certainly be looking to attach himself to another major blockbuster after creative differences caused him to leave Ant-Man. If Wright does take over though, it’s unlikely he will want to stick with Orci’s story, since a lack of control over Ant-Man film caused him to part ways with Marvel Studios. Paramount meanwhile is likely hoping to avoid any delays, since the studio hopes to have Star Trek 3 in theaters in 2016.
According to Badass Digest, Orci’s proposed plot would have involved the Enterprise, the Vulcans, and a third party pursuing another way to travel through time. While the plot of the first film used time travel as an excuse to involve original cast member Leonard Nimoy in the reboot, this third outing would supposedly include William Shatner as the future Captain Kirk. We will likely hear more from Paramount soon.