Paramount announces a 'Star Trek' sequel is in the works

The crew of the starship Enterprise is already getting ready for another voyage.

Credit: Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures is making a very gutsy move.  Anticipation is already building for the studio's reboot of "Star Trek" which debuts this May and now the company has revealed that a sequel is in the works.

Variety reports "Trek" screenwriters Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman will join producer Damon Lindelof ("Lost") in fashioning a second adventure for the new crew.  J.J. Abrams will produce the second installment (which is really the 12th one in the series), but it is unclear whether he will return to direct the follow up.  The studio expects a script by Christmas for what they hope will be a summer 2011 release.

Lindelof admitted to the trade that the quartet were being a tad ambitious in pushing for a sequel before the current picture is released, but said, "We're so excited about the first one that we wanted to proceed."

Additionally, while they all have a number of ideas they want to pursue, he confirmed that no storyline would be decided upon until they are able to gauge fan reaction to the upcoming movie.

While making this announcement so early will probably not jinx the success of the new "Star Trek," it's worth noting the best performing "Trek" picture domestically was "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" way back in 1986 with a $109 million domestic gross.  More importantly, no "Star Trek" picture has enjoyed significant success overseas which historically was the reason the franchise's budget was always kept to a bare minimum.  It remains to be seen if "Trek" can partially recoup it's rumored $200 million plus budget from international audiences.  If it doesn't, the sequel may not make it out of space dock.

"Star Trek," which features a number of young stars playing new versions of classic "Trek" characters, will beam into theaters on May 8.

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