Roberto Orci has officially ended his directing relationship with the Star Trek film franchise. The director, who recently broke up with his writing partner Alex Kurtzman, had signed on to take over the franchise for J.J. Abrams. However, that no longer seems to be the case.
Orci will remain on the payroll as a producer according to The Hollywood Reporter.
His reasons for stepping down suddenly from the helm have not been revealed. But it comes just a few months after his ended his professional relationship with longtime friend and partner Kurtzman. The duo have worked together or separately on dozens of critically acclaimed films and television shows including Mission: Impossible III, Transformers, Watchmen, Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek Into Darkness, Ender’s Game, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, “Alias,” “Fringe,” and “Sleepy Hollow.”