Richard Arnold, onetime assistant to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and a frequent writer and convention speaker on the franchise, said that his contacts have told him that J.J. Abrams will likely not direct Star Trek XI, but the film's budget has been increased.

Sci Fi Pulse caught up with Arnold at the SF Ball over the weekend, learning that Arnold no longer has a position at Paramount but still has contacts who deal with Star Trek production. Arnold said he had heard that the release date of the upcoming Trek feature would be postponed to autumn 2008 because the studio did not want to conflict with the release of the fourth Indiana Jones movie, expected in the summer of 2008.

Arnold also said he had heard that Abrams would not direct the Star Trek film due because he plans to make other movies under his contract with Paramount. However, he said, Abrams was deeply involved in writing the script, credited thus far to Abrams' frequent collaborators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

In addition, Arnold debunked rumours that such actors as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were in discussions for principal roles in the film but said that the studio had "a big name" in mind for the lead role, presumably that of the young Captain Kirk. Tom Cruise is not the big name, either.

And Arnold said that Paramount has increased the budget for Star Trek XI, which he believed would cost double any of the previous Star Trek films.

The original article is at Sci Fi Pulse.

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