Star Trek 3: Director Shortlist

Deadline has a shortlist of potential replacement directors to over the helm of Star Trek 3--since we learned that Roberto Orci is no longer directing the film. Orci co-wrote and produced J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" '09 and "Star Trek Into Darkness" with longtime partner Alex Kurtzman.

The four names are surprisingly high-profile Rupert Wyatt ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes"), Morten Tyldum ("The Imitation Game"),  Justin Lin ("Fast Five") and Daniel Espinosa ("Safe House"). Wyatt is reportedly at the top of the list and has apparently had a meeting already.

Espinosa is slated to helm "Boston Strong" next, Lin had his Bourne film pushed back so that could leave room for him to take the gig. Wyatt and Tydlum are still in early development of their next projects. Duncan Jones ("Source Code") was also rumored in the original report but the filmmaker has quickly shot that down the notion via his Twitter feed.

Abrams commitments to the Star Wars: Episode VII kept him from coming back. Other names like "Attack the Block" filmmaker Joe Cornish and G.I. Joe: Retaliation" director Jon M. Chu were in the mix to call action--before Orci got the gig. Jonathan Frakes, best known to Trekkers as Commander Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, indicated he wants to sit in the director's chair but knows it's a long shot...Edgar Wright was mentioned as well.

"Thor" and "X-Men: First Class" writers and "Fringe" producers Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz were eyed to script the sequel but opted not to do it.

Now J.D. Payne, Patrick McKay and Orci were co-writing the next film. Orci confirmed the first draft of the screenplay was completed and will be closer in tone to the original 1960s show than the previous two films.

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin and John Cho are all expected to return to the Final Frontier in their respective roles as Kirk Spock Uhura Dr. McCoy Scotty Chekov and Sulu.

What started as rumors are now all but confirmed that Star Trek-TOS star William Shatner is returning to the franchise in Trek 3. Shatner has admitted that one of the challenges of getting him into the rebooted timeline is that Kirk Prime died in 1994's Star Trek: Generations.

Shatner was originally in the script for a cameo in the '09 film but the notion was nixed. According to reports, a sequence in the Trek 3 script reunites Shatner and Leonard Nimoy as Kirk and Spock for their first canon appearance together since 1991's "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country". Kirk Prime's appearance is said to be 'plot-driven' rather than some throwaway cameo which means it will likely stay in the script despite any rewrites.

Abrams Bryan Burke Orci and David Ellison will produce the film

The sequel is seemingly still going to move forward quickly so that it can make a 2016 bow for Paramount--coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the "Star Trek" franchise. Filming on the next "Star Trek" hopes to begin in the Spring with pre-production aiming to start in very early 2015.