Who will take over ‘Star Trek 3’ for JJ Abrams as he moves on to helm ‘Star Wars Episode VII’

There is no conspiracy theory that JJ Abrams will not be back for a third film as he spoke with Collider last month saying he will be a producer only for the Star Trek Into Darkness sequel.

Who will take over for JJ Abrams?

“It’s a little bittersweet.  But, I will say that I’m going to be producing the movie.  Whomever it is that directs the film will be someone we all know is going to keep the cast and crew in good hands.  I feel very lucky to have been part of it, and it definitely feels like the right time to let someone come in and do their own thing.  I certainly don’t want someone to come in and try to do what I would have done.  We want to hire someone who’s gonna come in and bring their own sensibility.  I’m very excited to see what comes next, despite feeling jealous of whomever that person is.”

Rupert Wyatt from Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a name “endorsed” by Abrams as the shortlist of talented and high profile directors get shorter and shorter.

Edgar Wright is about to start on ‘Ant-Man’, Brad Bird is shooting ‘Tomorrowland’, Guillermo Del Toro has ‘Crimson Peak’, and Christopher Nolan is putting together ‘Interstellar’.

While star Karl Urban offered no insight into the next director, he did echo what many fans want: an original tale.

“What I really believe we should do now is strive for originality. Because in Star Trek Into Darkness we took one of the most revered and loved adversaries of the Enterprise and put him in there, and did a story that had all of these wonderful nods to films from the past, and episodes from the past…I really think that what we should do from here, in my personal opinion, is strive to be original.”