Star Trek 2 is gearing up for principal shooting to kick off in the new year, which is welcome news. The reboot of the franchise was desperately needed and JJ Abrams’ first instalment was a sensational shot in the arm for a series that had become bogged down since the high water mark of First Contact.

What is not especially welcome news is that Abrams is looking at shooting the sequel on film and then post-converting it into 3D. Obviously the “shooting on film” bit is not of concern, it is the dreaded “post-conversion” which is troubling, given the poor application of the technique up until now.

JJ Abrams is no mug and has certainly proved himself a steady and dependable pair of hands so far, but this does very much feel like a step in the wrong direction. At a time when (at least here in the UK), 3D ticket sales are on the wane, it seems unnecessary to gear up for a post-conversion.

 Having said that, it might yet prove to be an astute move. Prior success or not, Abrams is as susceptible as anyone to studio pressure and may have therefore negotiated a deal to post-convert, hoping that either 3D will have fallen out of favour by then and he won’t need to, or that the technology will have improved, leaving the results more impressive. Either way, that is a massive leap of speculation on my part and in no way grounded in any sort of information or insight.

JJ Abrams also wants to shoot some of the film in IMAX format, which he is thoroughly enthusiastic about, though he remains predictably tight-lipped about story arcs, characters, villains and the like, all of which will no doubt unfold in due course.

MTV have this story, together with a few more quotes from Abrams regarding his aspirations for the sequel.