Star Trek 3 News, Spoilers: 'Fast and Furious' Director Chosen To Helm

With a plot for "Star Trek 3" already in place, Paramount has chosen "Fast and Furious 6" Director Justin Lin to helm the next instalment in the franchise.

Movie reviewers regard this choice as a wise decision. The rebooted franchise has already seen two successful films. The studio's choice of Lin as director could help make the next film become an even bigger commercial hit.

The first two films in the franchise "Star Trek" and "Star Trek: Into Darkness" did relatively well at the box office both in the U.S. and abroad. The main reason behind their success, reviewers say, was the direction of J.J. Abrams who helped reenergize the franchise's fan base and deliver a critically acclaimed fare. However, after Abrams left to helm the upcoming Star Wars film, speculations rose as to who would take over. Earlier rumors said Roberto Orci would direct the next Star Trek movie. But Orci declined the offer for unspecified reason.

Lin and others directors such as Duncan Jones and Rupert Wyatt were rumored to be in running for the director's job after Roberto Orci said no. However, Orci will still be involved in the project as a producer.

Soon after announcing that Lin will direct the movie, Paramount also disclosed that "Star Trek 3" will be released on July 8, 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of the original TV show.

Forbes says the main reason why Paramount seems to have settled on Lin as the director is because he successfully managed to bring life the sagging "Fast and Furious" franchise. That particular film franchise is currently en route to releasing its seventh instalment. It is widely regarded as a major commercial success with the last four films directed by Lin grossing over $1.9 billion.

Lin, Forbes says, also has experience directing a large cast. In the "Fast and Furious" films, he has given each of the members of the cast a chance to "shine" in their roles.

This will be a welcome relief to other Star Trek cast members whose roles are often overshadowed by the two main characters Kirk and Spock.