J.J. Abrams to bring 'Star Trek' back to theatres

U.S. director J.J. Abrams is set to revive the Star Trek franchise, according to industry paper Variety.

Abrams, creator of TV hits Lost, Alias and Felicity, and director of the upcoming Mission Impossible III, will bring the as-yet-untitled project to theatres in 2008.

The new project, which will be the 11th instalment of the popular film series, will reportedly return to the origins of classic Trek characters James T. Kirk and Spock, originally portrayed by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

The movie will follow how the two characters met at Starfleet Academy and their first space assignment together.

Considered by many to be Hollywood's most enduring franchise after James Bond, Star Trek faltered recently. The last film,  Star Trek: Nemesis, had a poor reception in 2002, and the most recent TV series, Enterprise, was cancelled last year because of declining ratings.

The brainchild of Gene Roddenberry, the Star Trek science fiction franchise started as a late-1960s TV show that became ingrained in pop culture. It spawned five additional TV incarnations (including an animated version), 10 feature films, numerous video games and hundreds of books, ranging from novels to technical manuals.