'Star Trek 3' movie news: director Justin Lin to 'go further,' flick to be 'all new and fresh'

Spock and Kirk from Star Trek (2009)Paramount Pictures

"Star Trek 3," which rumor mills call "Star Trek Beyond," will start production this month and it seems like director Justin Lin is as excited as fans, if not more, to make a masterpiece out of the highly anticipated threequel. The director spent some time with Deadline talking about how he got the new gig. 

"I was in the last week shooting True Detective when J.J. Abrams called last December," Lin shared. "He asked me, do you like Star Trek? If you do, you should take this, be bold, and just go for it."

Abrams helmed the previous "Star Trek" films but moved on with "Star Wars Episode 7." 

According to Lin, "Star Trek" is very close to his heart even from way back when he was little. He shared to Deadline that it was his "childhood" and that his family would gather every night just to watch the original "Star Trek." This makes Lin the best bet to take the reins from Abrams.

The new "Star Trek 3" director has great plans for the upcoming film. He revealed that he turned his focus on "creating whole new worlds and species," adding that "it's time to go further" and beyond the Klingons and Romulans. That said, the film will be "all new and fresh." 

"As great as J.J.'s films were, there's still a lot to be mined from these characters," Lin admitted. "They haven't really gone on their five-year mission, so what we experienced in the TV show hasn't been touched on yet. That sets up an opportunity for exploration and the deeper you go, the more you are examining humanity. Those are the things that I absorbed as a kid and hope to tap into and embrace and celebrate."  

"Star Trek 3" will hit the silver screen on July 8, 2016. The cast includes Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, and Sofia Boutella. It was written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, with the former reprising his role as Scotty.