Roberto Orci Exits STAR TREK 3

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Roberto Orci has walked away from the director's chair of STAR TREK 3.

Orci was set to make his directorial debut with the film. J.J. Abrams had directed the previous two.

STAR TREK 3 is scheduled to be released in 2016, in time for the franchise's 50th anniversary, with J.J. Abrams returning as producer, but not as director. The script is being written by Roberto Orci, who will also direct the film which is due to begin filming in early 2015. According to recent reports, the currently untitled film will take place in deep space, with the Enterprise and her crew dealing with an unrevealed crisis. This movie will reportedly be more similar to the original Star Trek series than its predecessors

Written by Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof, the second film followed the crew of the Enterprise as a shocking act of terror on Earth sends them on a manhunt to capture an unstoppable force of destruction and bring those responsible to justice. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS featured an ensemble cast including John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Peter Weller and Anton Yelchin.