Nearly 10 months after first being linked to the project, J.J. Abrams has reportedly signed on to direct the reboot of the "Star Trek" franchise.

Back in April it was revealed that Abrams' Bad Robot production shingle would produce a new "Star Trek" film with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci writing. At the time, Abrams' involvement as director was said to be likely, but not inevitable.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, though, Abrams finally inked a deal to direct on Friday (Feb. 23) evening.

The industry trade paper has absolutely nothing new to report beyond that.

The new "Star Trek" has been rumored to be a prequel, mining the Starfleet Academy plotline that has long polarized "Trek" fans. The film would look at the first meeting between James Kirk and Mr. Spock. No word on whether it will go into the realm of Kirk/Spock fiction.

Abrams' feature directing credits are limited to "Mission: Impossible III." On the small screen, he's had a hand in creating "Lost," "Alias" and "Felicity." He was also recently linked to Stephen King's "Dark Tower" trilogy, though what form that project would take is up in the air.

If it's done right, I'm all for this one.

Star Trek," one of the most popular and successful franchises in the history of movies and television, returns to the big screen under the creative vision of J.J. Abrams, the force behind "Lost," "Alias" and Mission: Impossible III for Paramount Pictures.

The team behind the film will include Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (Mission: Impossible III) who wrote the screenplay and will executive produce with Bryan Burk. J.J. Abrams and "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof will produce. The film will begin shooting this fall for a Christmas Day 2008 release.

One of the most popular film and television franchises of all time, "Star Trek" has encompassed 726 total episodes for television in six different series, beginning with the original 1966-1969 series created by Gene Roddenberry. The 10 "Star Trek" films have grossed in excess of $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The original characters have been named among the 50 greatest TV characters of all time and the Enterprise has lent its name to two proposed spacecrafts.

"If there's something I'm dying to see, it's the brilliance and optimism of Roddenberry's world brought back to the big screen," said Abrams. "Alex and Bob wrote an amazing script that embraces and respects Trek canon, but charts its own course. Our goal is to make a picture for everyone -- life-long fans and the uninitiated. Needless to say, I am honored and excited to be part of this next chapter of Star Trek."

Brad Grey, chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures, said, "We could not be more thrilled to be back in business with J.J. Abrams. The revival of the 'Star Trek' franchise is an important part of Paramount's turnaround."

I am keeping my fingers crossed.

This could be promising, if handled right. I hope Abrams fights the urge to get too cute or clever with foreshadowing, etc. I hope they cast the right actors and not just young guys who look good in Starfleet Academy cadet suits.

On the other hand, they've pretty much run Star Trek in all its incarnations into the ground, creatively speaking.

One problem is that this prequel will look better and be more technically sophisticated than the original series, whose stories will follow it years later in the Star Trek chronology, or "canon."

But Paramount is going to do what they're going to do, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.;)

One problem is that this prequel will look better and be more technically sophisticated than the original series, whose stories will follow it years later in the Star Trek chronology, or "canon."

But Paramount is going to do what they're going to do, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.;)
That's also one reason Enterprise didn't work for me. I would have preferred the adventures of the Defiant set in Kirk's time with a different crew or The adventures of the Excelsior with Captain Sulu :D

In this Abrams version I'd like them to show Kirk and the remaining cast in the beginning having them look back, and again at the very end.