Roberto Orci recently announced he was no longer attached to direct the sequel to Star Trek: Into Darkness, and with no replacement currently to be found, Trekkies took it upon themselves to find a suitable director for Star Trek 3.
Their top choice? None other than Star Trek veteran Jonathan Frakes, who played Enterprise First Officer William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and directed the well-received Star Trek: First Contact in addition to the less well-received Star Trek: Insurrection. Frakes has also directed numerous episodes of Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, making him more than qualified to continue on J.J. Abrams' series in the eyes of many fans.
Those fans saw to it that #BringInRiker started trending on Twitter, and now Frakes has an official comment on the matter: He would love to have the job.
Speaking with Komo News, Frakes says he has contacted Paramount and J.J. Abrams to express his interest in the project. He assures fans that he is "all over it."
"I say, unabashedly, I'd be great at it and would love to do it," he told the radio station via phone.
"I would love that job," he added. "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."
Longtime Star Trek fans have often blasted J.J. Abrams' Trek films for losing the more philosophical nature of the franchise and treading old ground. Frakes may have the Star Trek credentials to alleviate those fan concerns and bring the franchise back in line. It sadly seems unlikely Paramount would choose Frakes over a big-name director like Edgar Wright or Joe Cornish, two other names that have cropped up to direct the film in light of Orci's departure.
But there is still the possibility Frakes could snag the director's chair. From his well-groomed beard to numerous memes, fans can't get enough of the former First Officer. There is only one thing left for Paramount Pictures to do: make it so.
