Abrams Is Gearing Up For 'Star Trek XI'

With his Mission: Impossible III coming out on DVD this week, J.J. Abrams is again discussing the status of Star Trek XI and his hopes for the franchise.

"The framework is firmly in place, the script is being written now, and we are incredibly enthusiastic about it," Abrams said of the Star Trek film in a new interview at TV Guide. "It's way too early to talk about casting, but the story is incredibly cool. All of us working on it are just giddy about it."

Though M:I-3 was surrounded by hype not about the film but about its star, Tom Cruise, Abrams was undaunted by the media hysteria. "I am in awe of his work ethic...as a director, it absolutely spoils you," he said of Cruise. "He helps inspire the crew to work equally as hard...I look forward to the day we can work together again."

Abrams also spoke to MTV about his work on Mission: Impossible and his plans for Star Trek, noting that he couldn't let himself be daunted by the huge budgets either for that film or for the pilot episode of Lost - reportedly the most expensive in television history.

"I was like, oh sh--! What did I get myself into? And I couldn't think of anything in my head to compare it to, to make me feel better," he admitted. He is surprised that Paramount does not consider M:I-3 a success, given that it made as much money worldwide as Superman Returns, and believes that Cruise came in for unfair criticism.

As for Star Trek XI, "The script is being written. We have the outline." But Abrams has not yet decided whether he will direct the movie himself.

"It's too early to make that call, but we're all ridiculously excited about it," he said. "It's hard to talk about at this stage, because there's so much still left to do, but I can say that the story is incredibly cool. To be honest with you, I haven't been a follower of the more recent 'Star Trek' films. I got to appreciate them and like them, but this is the movie I would be in line to see."

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