'Star Trek' Alum Jonathan Frakes Is Trying To Direct 'Star Trek 3'

The departure of Roberto Orci from the bridge of Star Trek 3 was both a blessing and a curse. It was a curse because the movie had its phasers locked on a 2016 release date, but a blessing in that a new director might drum up some excitement after the lackluster second installment. Instantly the discussion began about who should direct the film.

Articles and tweets packed with bad Star Trek puns filled the Internet and one thing became clear, at least for fans of the series. They wanted Jonathan Frakes, aka Commander William T. Riker himself, to direct the film. Besides starring in Star Trek The Next Generation and multiple Trek movies, Frakes actually directed several episodes of the show as well as Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection, two mostly-well-received entries into the Trek canon. He seems like a good man for the job.

As it turns out, he agrees and he's aggressively going after the gig. Read more of the Jonathan Frakes Star Trek 3 news below.

Frakes spoke to Komo News (via Empire Online) about the online movement to get him to direct Star Trek 3.

He was excited about the Twitter hashtag #BringInRiker and confirmed he's contacted J.J. Abrams, a producer on the movie. His agent has also contacted Paramount Pictures to pitch his client for the gig.

I would love that job. I say, unabashedly, I'd be great at it and would love to do it....I'm trying to keep the lid on how excited I am about the possibility, knowing it's such a long shot. But there's nothing I would like better.

I think the "long shot" term is probably a fair description. Though Frakes obviously has an intimate knowledge of the Trek franchise, the support of the fans and directorial expertise, the world, and the series, are both massively different since he made a Star Trek movie. He's worked consistently since his last Trek film but not really in features. He did a few of the Librarian movies on TV as well as shows like Burn Notice, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and The Glades. That's all big stuff but, is it up to the level of what Paramount can probably get for one of their biggest franchises? Probably not.

Personally, while I see it as a risk and "long shot" from an executive angle, I see it as a home run from the "fan" angle. There's just no way Frakes wouldn't crush a Star Trek movie. He's too engrained in that world to turn in anything less than his best.

What do you think about Jonathan Frakes Star Trek 3? Is it even possible?