While the Bad Robot regulars Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have been responsible for both of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films (Damon Lindelof beamed aboard to work with them on this year’s Into Darkness), it appears their increasingly busy schedule as producers means they want to step back a little on the third film. According to Badass Digest, the pair is now chasing Thor/X-Men First Class co-writers Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz to handle the heavy lifting on Trek 3.
While Kurtzman and Orci will still be involved in the script, they have reached out to Miller and Stentz and are still working out a deal. Which means that the new pair isn’t signed just yet, simply considering the idea.
Since both are also Bad Robot veterans, having worked as writers and producers on Fringe, there’s a good chance they’ll climb aboard to help out, particularly as things need to get moving so the film can be ready for Star Trek’s 50th anniversary in 2016.
In related Trek/Abrams news, there have been unsubstantiated rumours that the director might be on the edge of dropping out of making the new** Star Wars**. We’re placing this one very firmly in the 'scurrilous' category for now though, especially since Lucasfilm sent this denial to IGN: "There is no truth to the rumour. J.J. is having a great time working on the script and is looking forward to going into production next year."