Kurtzman And Orci: Writing Trek And Future Plans
2 min readWhile writing summer blockbusters is satisfying, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci have something else in mind when it comes to their future.
As reported by Film Journal International, making a popular Star Trek movie meant reaching beyond the established fanbase. “We call it tough love,” said Orci, explaining how to write a story in such a way as to attract new fans. “You’ve got to really look at it and see what’s going to translate to the storytelling that’s relevant now and what has to be sacrificed. Sometimes it’s hard to know, so it’s important to be disciplined about it. You can’t rely on the history of the franchise to engender goodwill. You’ve got to win the goodwill as if the franchise has never been seen before.” Writing a sequel presented its own challenges. “Sequels are frightening because you really have to come up with a reason to tell a second story that doesn’t have to do with the first movie being successful,” said Kurtzman. “The common denominator in [successful sequels] involved a major test for the hero and a bad guy who was truly frightening and who put the hero through the mill. Most importantly, you didn’t have to see the previous movie to come into the sequel and like it.”
As to the future, Kurtzman and Orci would like to direct a film. “The plan is to find the right film for us to direct in the next couple of years, said Orci. “We’re happy being the guys that write the words, but we want to try everything. It’s possible that we’ll each direct our own projects, but we might be too jealous of what the other is doing and so we’ll both have to do it!”
Orci even has a franchise in mind for his future endeavors. “I’d love to see [Nintendo’s] The Legend of Zelda done right,” he said. “Now that’s letting your geek flag fly.”
In the meanwhile, the two writers will have to content themselves with projects such as the second season of Fringe, as well as the next Star Trek movie, due out in 2011.
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