Star Trek 3 will return the ‘spirit of the TV show’

With director J.J. Abrams no longer at the helm of the new Star Trek series, Star Trek 3 may be headed in a different direction, one that's more closely aligned with the original television series.

According to film co-writer Simon Pegg, who will double as engineering chief Scotty in the movie, Star Trek 3 will be closer in spirit to the original show, offering more of an optimistic outlook compared to Abrams' darker tone.

“I think we just want to take it forward with the spirit of the TV show," Pegg told Comic Book Resources. "And it’s a story about frontierism and adventure and optimism and fun, and that’s where we want to take it, you know? Where no man has gone before – where no one has gone before, sensibly corrected for a slightly more enlightened generation. But yeah, that’s the mood at the moment.”

With Abrams departing from the reboot series, which started back in 2009, Star Trek 3 will be directed by Fast Five's Justin Lin. Abrams, of course, is now in charge of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.