Before J.J. Abrams starts working on Star Wars Episode VII full time, the director will have to walk the promo gauntlet for Star Trek Into Darkness where he will be asked endlessly how he plans on juggling two franchises.
Up to now, fanboys have just assumed he’ll ditch Trek entirely now that Disney has handed him the keys to a new trilogy of Star Wars films.
But in an interview with Playboy, Abrams says doing Episode VII doesn’t mean he can’t make another Star Trek.
“I would say it’s a possibility,” he tells the magazine. “We’re trying to figure out the next step. But it’s like anything: It all begins with the story.”
Abrams also addressed some of the backlash he experienced when it was announced that he was helming the new Star Wars film.
“I mean, I get it. The worlds are vastly different. Honestly, that was why I passed on Star Wars to begin with. I couldn’t imagine doing both. But when I said that my loyalty was to Star Trek I was literally working on finishing this cut. I couldn’t even entertain another thought. It was like being on the most beautiful beach in the world and someone saying, ‘There’s this amazing mountain over here. Come take a look.’ I couldn’t balance the two, so I passed on Star Wars… In the end it was my wife, Katie, who said if it was something that really interested me, I had to consider it.”
The wide-ranging interview also touches on Fringe (I skipped that bit since I haven’t finished the series), the possibility of an Alias movie (“We discuss it. In the right circumstance and situation I would definitely be open to it”), Cloverfield II (“Part of me just wants to let it go”) and his un-produced Superman Flyby screenplay.
Check out the latest trailer below and let us know whether you think Abrams should be allowed to direct both Star Trek and Star Wars.
