Joe Cornish may direct 'Star Trek 3'

Filmmaker J.J. Abrams' hands are quite full with his "Star Wars Episode VII" commitments, and so Paramount Pictures is said to on a hunt for a new director to take charge of the "Star Trek" franchise.

A number of names is said to be on the banner's wishlist for "Star Trek 3", but one of the most prospective names is "Attack the Block" writer-director Joe Cornish, said a statement.

Cornish is no stranger to blockbusters, having worked on the "Tintin" movie screenplay, as well as a draft of the upcoming superhero movie "Ant Man".

The new "Star Trek" movie will be released in 2016, in time for the series' 50th anniversary.

Abrams has earlier directed the 2009 film "Star Trek", and then he went behind the camera for the 2013 film "Star Trek Into Darkness".