Star Trek 3: Jonathan Frakes Wants To Direct

Jonathan Frakes, best known to Trekkers as Commander Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, has indicated he wants to sit in the director's chair for 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.

Frakes did a radio interview with Komo News this week and said he has contacted the studio to express his interest and is waiting on their response:

"I'm all over it. I would love that job. I'm trying to keep the lid on how excited I am about the possibility, knowing it's such a long shot. But there's nothing I would like better."

There is even a movement on Twitter for him to win the job, with the hashtag #BringInRiker

Frakes certainly has Trek directing experience, helming the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and episodes of TNG, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.

Abrams commitments to the Star Wars: Episode VII kept him from coming back. Names like "Attack the Block" filmmaker Joe Cornish, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" director Rupert Wyatt and G.I. Joe: Retaliation" director Jon M. Chu were in the mix to call action--before Orci got the gig.

Mike Fleming Jr said: "Rampant rumors are swirling and I’ve confirmed there is fire behind the smoke that he won’t be directing. I even hear that Edgar Wright and others are on a short list to take the job.  Orci stays on the project as producer, I’ve heard."

"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.