J.J. ABRAMS confirmed to direct STAR TREK 2, production on fast track

J.J. Abrams is finally confirmed to helm Star Trek 2. Vulture reports that the project is on the fast track and that pre-production is underway, the script will be done by the end of this month and that filming will begin this winter. 

It has been a foregone conclusion that Abrams would direct, but he never gave a firm start date for the project, or confirm he was actually directing. There were reports in July that he was “moving towards a commitment” , but Paramount Pictures pushed the sequels 2012 release date and gave it's slot to Jon Chu's GI Joe: Retaliation. The hold up was in part due to Alex Kurtzman, who was wrapping up his first directorial debut, Welcome to People for DreamWorks. With that done, he has been able to focus on the script with Roberto Orci and Abrams.  

I am very interested in seeing this project come together. I loved the first film and am super excited to see the direction the sequel takes. We have reported that the sequel will deal with new characters and life forms, which should be cool. What are your thoughts?