You've got redshirt on you: "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" writer and star Simon Pegg won't just play Scotty in "Star Trek 3", he'll write the thing too.
The third movie in the newly revived version of the long-running sci-fi TV series will premiere next year. As-yet untitled, the film will form part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the first broadcast of "Star Trek" back in September 1966.
British actor Simon Pegg, who plays the USS Enterprise's chief engineer Montgomery Scott in the new cast, will pen the screenplay with Doug Jung. Pegg has experience with co-writing: he wrote "Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz" and "The World's End" with director Edgar Wright; "Paul" with Nick Frost; and before that TV show "Spaced" with Jessica Hynes. Meanwhile Jung is best known for 2003 con caper "Confidence" and writing episodes of "Big Love" and "Banshee".
Before Pegg and Jung took over, Patrick McKay, John D. Payne and Roberto Orci were on scripting duties. Orci, who co-wrote the first two rebooted "Trek" movies directed by J. J. Abrams, was briefly set to make his directorial debut with the third film. However, "Fast and the Furious" veteran Justin Lin is now in the director's chair.
The plot of the movie is unknown for now; after the frankly abysmal "Star Trek into Darkness" made such a mess of revisiting "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", here's to hoping Pegg and Jung find a new direction. They're not saddled with reviving Mr Spock so it won't be a rehash of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". They do still have to break the curse of the odd-numbered "Trek" movie -- highlighted by Pegg himself in "Spaced" -- but with Pegg's nerd credentials and genuine storytelling nous I'm hopeful number 3 will be a worthy entry to the canon.
Previously known for his interaction with fellow nerds on his Twitter account @simonpegg, Pegg has now turned his account into an official news feed and no longer tweets himself. The screenplay news was confirmed with a tweet earlier today.
Pegg will next be seen in "Man Up", "Mission: Impossible 5" and Terry Jones comedy "Absolutely Anything", all due this year.
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