Paramount is Nuts!

It has been announced today that Paramount has hired someone with no directing experience to direct Star Trek 3 or whatever it will come to be called.  You read that right.  Someone with no directing experience whatsoever will be taking the reins of Star Trek 3, a film that is set to be released on the 50th anniversary of the first airing of the original series on NBC.  50th anniversary, zero experience.  Who is this aspiring director you ask?  None other than Roberto Orci.

Orci, as you may not be aware, was part of the writing team that wrote Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.  He and his former writing partner, Alex Kurtzman, are responsible for writing films like Transformers, Amazing Spiderman 2, and Cowboys and Aliens.  All films that were heavy on action and extremely light on three dimensional characters, actual real character development, fully realized plots, and richly developed stories.  These two were responsible for some of the dumbest, lowest common denominator films to have come out over the last 5 years.  Quality writing is not their strong suit.

In fact, Star Trek Into Darkness was recently ranked the worst Trek film by Star Trek fans.  Last I checked, Star Trek V was a pretty bad film in the overall series.  In any event, the guy responsible for co-writing the worst Trek film, again according to the fans, is going to be in charge of the next one in this series.

I know, I know I am being unfair, right?  I should wait and see on this one.  Perhaps Mr. Orci will deliver a fine film and will make a great debut as a first time director.  And maybe pigs will fly and I will grow a money tree in my backyard.  It has been said to me often that past performance is a good indicator of future success.  When you look at the quality of the films Orci had a hand in writing previous to this you see that he is unable to write a film that has any depth to it whatsoever.  You see a pattern of empty spectacles that lack any real heart or solid characters.  You see bad films.

So with that in mind, how can I be anything but concerned over this news.  But what concerns me more than that, much more in fact, is that Orci has no experience at all directing.  Orci is being allowed to direct a $150 million tentpole film as his first film.  That is simply a disaster in the making.  Then add to that the timing of the release of this still untitled third Trek film.

The 50th anniversary of Star Trek is a time for Paramount to really up their game and give the long-time fans of this universe a film that is truly something special.  This is the time for them to hire screenwriters who love Trek and have experience with past success writing for Trek.  They need to hire an experienced director with equal passion and someone with a strong visual sense and directing style.  Someone, unlike JJ Abrams, who actually loves Trek.  They need to craft a film that honors the history of the universe while also setting a new path for future adventures, be it on the big screen or the small one.  The long and short of it is that they need to make every effort to make a great Trek film for the anniversary.

But that is not what they are doing here.  Not at all.  I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Orci made his pitch to Paramount execs.  How impressive that presentation must have been.  Or rather was this just a power play by Orci.  It had been widely reported that Orci bullied the directors who came in to speak with him about the project.  I really can't imagine Orci not being willing to bully the Paramount suits as well to get his way.  And now he has.

I am deeply fighting the urge to walk away now from Trek, to give up hope of anyone ever fully realizing the potential of Trek on the big screen and delivering a film that is worthy.  I want to throw my hands in the air and turn my back on this third film and declare Trek on film dead.  But I can't.  As much as I hate this decision and as much as my gut tells me this film is doomed, I still am a fan of Trek.  I still love it.

So for now I will rant on here.  I will put my frustration into words and keystrokes.  But I will still hold out hope, as faint and small as it may be, that this third Trek film will be great.  That Orci will surprise us all, myself especially, and deliver a solid entry.  That is all I can do at this point.  I am a fan of Star Trek, I have to hope for the best no matter how dire it may be.

And hope I will, despite Paramount's bad decision making.