Simon Pegg Set to Co-Write 'Star Trek 3'

Simon Pegg's geek credentials are pretty much unquestioned as the creator of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End, but can he take that and put it to use in a blockbuster franchise? He's about to get a chance as Deadline reports Pegg will co-write Star Trek 3, which has been floundering to get off the ground for awhile. 

This will be an interesting move for Pegg, who obviously stars as Scotty in the Star Trek films as well. He'll be co-writing the script with Doug Jung, creator of the TNT series Dark Blue, and one has to wonder whether they'll make Scotty more of a central focus. They come aboard just a couple of weeks after Roberto Orci was dropped as director, and then his screenplay got tossed out, too.

Justin Lin is on board to direct the film now, and everyone will have to get moving to hit the July 2016 release date.