The announcement that J.J. Abrams will be directing Star Wars Episode VII probably means that he won't be back to direct the third installment in the new Star Trek film series. However, J.J. Abrams will still be involved in the project, at least as a Producer. This scenario is eerily similar to Bryan Singer's own experience with the X-Men franchise and his decision to depart for Superman Returns. In this interview with IGN, Bryan Singer says why it's a scary thing to run someone else's franchise but doesn't outright say No to the prospect.
Would he tackle Star Trek after J.J. Abrams?
"I don't know." "Even though Matthew Vaughn directed X-Men: First Class, I produced it, I wrote the story, I was involved in the casting and the design of the movie itself, so I don't feel like I'm taking on someone else's franchise." "I'm jumping back into my own." "Particularly with this movie (X-Men: Days of Future Past), because it involves the old cast as well." "It's a very different thing jumping into someone else's franchise, someone else's cast." "It was very tough when Brett Ratner did it with mine, you know." "And you're held up, particularly if it's something that people really like what the originator did, you're held to a very, very tough standard when you're jumping into somebody else's franchise." "It's a very scary thing to do cause' they're waiting to judge you." "And sometimes it works like Aliens."
Singer admits that under the right circumstances, he would be tempted by Star Trek.
"Right because that was a very different thing." "Alien was a science-fiction masterpiece horror film that Ridley Scott made and Jim Cameron just did an action film." "But a sequel to a character charged Star Trek...I'm friends with some of the cast and I was on the set recently." "I'm friends with J.J. Abrams and so I was on the set visiting, which was really cool and it looks really awesome." "They're really great people." "Chris Pine is lovely and I'm friends with Zachary Quinto and they're all great." "That would be the most fun part, to work with those people and to work with the lore that I love." "I just...I'm like, the pressure of doing it would freak me out." "Or might freak me out." "That being said, if someone presented a story and a structure and the original director was supporting you, really supporting you and producing with you and behind you then maybe it would be a great experience."
In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.
With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Written by: Gene Roddenberry (TV series Star Trek), Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci (screenplay)
Produced By: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk
Running Time: Unknown
Release Date: May 17, 2013 (USA)
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine,
Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Peter Weller