Need a franchise entry directed with skill and aplomb? Call Justin Lin. Not only does he have four "Fast & Furious" movies under his belt, but he’s directing the first two episodes in the next season of "True Detective" and he was tapped for the next ‘Bourne’ movie with Jeremy Renner (more on that in a sec). Hollywood big shots clearly trust this guy to give audiences exactly what they want, no matter the genre, and now Paramount have snagged him for one of their biggest properties.
Deadline reports that Lin has nabbed the the gig directing "Star Trek 3," replacing Roberto Orci who recently vacated the chair but is still staying on as a producer. If you’re wondering where Lin has space in his schedule, one other movie just got moved out of the way. It would appear that the Jeremy Renner-led ‘Bourne’ movie slated to follow "The Bourne Legacy" has been postponed, now that Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass are committed to returning. We suppose we’ll have to wait and see whether that’s code for the project being shelved entirely, or if Universal will try to re-sell Renner as the franchise lead post-Damon’s return. Meanwhile, Lin is also being courted to come back to the "Fast & Furious" franchise, but that remains up in the air with "Star Trek 3" now on his plate.
No release date yet for "Star Trek 3," but we’re guessing Paramount will want this moving as fast as possible, especially given that other star based series coming back to the big screen in a big way next year…..
Update 12/23: "Star Trek 3" will land in our galaxy on July 8, 2016.
