Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are in negotiations to write the screenplay for Star Trek 3, with J.J. Abrams in talks to remain aboard the franchise as a producer.

Star Trek Into Darkness co-writer Damon Lindelof is not going to be a part of this sequel, which Paramount is hoping to release in 2016, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original Star Trek TV series created by Gene Roddenberry. The studio had flirted with bringing a new writing team on board, recently meeting with Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (Thor, X-Men: First Class), before coming back to Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana are expected to return as Kirk, Spock, and Uhura. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman also wrote The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and are producing the Untitled Mummy Reboot and Van Helsing remake through their first-look deal at Universal Pictures. They also have the upcoming TV series Sleepy Hollow, debuting September 16 on Fox.

Earlier today, we reported that Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe Retaliation) is a top candidate to direct the sequel, although it isn't known if others are in the mix for the coveted gig as well.