Next 'Star Trek' film due in 2013, in 3D

The next Star Trek film will be released May 13, 2013, and in 3D.

The original date for the still-untitled film was June 29, 2012. However, scheduling difficulties led to the date change. Abrams reportedly did not want to be rushed into a pre-set release date. His work on the blockbuster Super 8 (2011), led to a delay in officially signing onto the Trek sequel.

All the principal cast from Star Trek (2009) will reprise their roles, including Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. Also returning is director J. J. Abrams, who will write the script with Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Kurtzman and Orci wrote the previous Trek film. Michael Giacchino, who scored Abrams’s other movies, will also return as composer.

Shooting is expected to begin early in 2012. Benecio del Toro has been in talks to be cast as a villain in the picture.

The previous film, a reboot of the 1960s TV series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, made over $385 million worldwide and won the Oscar for Best Makeup. Nimoy played Spock on the series (and in six subsequent feature films) and reprised the role in the previous film.