It’s been a busy month for the upcoming third installment of the rebooted Star Trek franchise, with previously announced director Roberto Orci vacating the director’s chair, a highly publicized search for a filmmaker to replace him, and Fast & Furious franchise filmmaker Justin Lin stepping into the position mere days ago. And now the project has a release date, too.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the still-untitled sequel to Star trek Into Darkness will debut in theaters July 8, 2016.
As expected, the 2016 release date sets up the film’s premiere as a tentpole in the franchise’s 50th anniversary celebrations that year. The original Star Trek television series premiered September 8, 1966, on NBC.
The upcoming film will have some big box-office shoes to fill, with the 2009 reboot of the franchise earning more than $385 million worldwide and 2013’s Into Darkness earning more than $467 million worldwide. Lin will also be stepping into some big shoes, as he follows franchise helmer J.J. Abrams, who departed the series after directing the first two installments in order to direct the upcoming Star Wars sequel, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.
