This doesn’t come as a big surprise, but seeing as he’s long refused to confirm it, it’s worth reporting that JJ Abrams is now officially onboard to direct Star Trek 2, according to Vulture. The sequel has taken far longer to put together than anyone had expected. Indeed Paramount even went as far as to set a summer 2012 release, but seeing as the film hasn’t started shooting yet, it’s safe to say we’ll have to wait a little longer than that for the further adventures of Kirk & co.
It currently looks like the film will start shooting next January for release sometime in 2013, although that’s yet to be confirmed.
Although he’s only just signed to direct, Abrams has been developing the sequel all along, alongside producers/writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof, with the script expected to be ready by the end of the month. It’s allegedly Kurtzman who’s caused a lot of the delays, as he’s an integral part of the Star Trek team but has been busy with his directorial debut, Welcome To People. However he’s noe ready to turn his attention to Star Trek 2.