Has J.J. Abrams found a 'Star Trek 3' director in 'Into Darkness' writer Roberto Orci?

While J.J. Abrams won't be returning for a third Star Trek film as director, as a producer he might have found his replacement and he didn't have to look too far. Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness co-writer Roberto Orci is reportedly in early talks to direct the highly anticipated sequel.

According to reports, Orci has basically convinced Abrams and Bad Robot that he'd be the perfect fit for director. Orci is also co-writing the script with Patrick McKay and John D. Payne, so moving into the directing position makes sense to most.

Unfortunately this article isn't a confirmation post because Paramount is a bit hesitant to hire Orci in this new role. This would be his first time directing, and fans apparently don't like his contributions as a writer-producer in the series. Though he's in talks to direct, it might not leave fans happy.

Check out a Tweet from THR writer Borys Kit breaking this news last month:

Yes, Kurtzman and Orci are splitting up. But more interestingly, Orci is in early talks to direct STAR TREK 3. No negotiations yet but...

— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) April 22, 2014

This week, Deadline confirms Kit's tweet in a new story stating Orci is the frontrunner for director.

This news does come at a bit of a price. As noted in the tweet above, Orci and his writing/producing partner Alex Kurtzman have decided to part ways in the realm of filmmaking. The duo has been working together for nearly the last decade and is responsible for some great sci-fi and comic book films like Star Trek, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and the Transformers films.

Read more on this split over at Variety.