Mexican-American Roberto Orci will direct the first "Star Trek" not helmed by filmmaker JJ Abrams.

Paramount chose the screenwriter, who got his start writing for "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys." Alex Kurtzman is his longtime writing partner; they co-wrote "Star Trek" and "Star Trek Into Darkness," notes Nerdist.

The two have also teamed up for "Sleepy Hollow" and "Fringe" for Fox.

Joe Cornish, who directed "Attack the Block," was supposedly the only other name considered other than Orci. With this movie, Orci will be making his directorial debut, which is certainly a rare accomplishment considering he'll be dealing with such a big movie for his first time in the director's seat.

Orci frequently collaborates with Abrams, and the movie won't be completely without Abrams, Time reports. Abrams will be a producer on the movie, but his role may not be very large, as he has taken on the "Star Wars" franchise.

But Orci is well-versed in big-budget blockbusters. He has worked on "Transformers" movies, "Amazing Spider-Man 2" and "Cowboys & Aliens."

Orci will also write the script for the third installment, along with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto have signed on to reprise their roles.

Roberto Orci was born in Mexico to a Cuban mother and a Mexican father. His younger brother is J.R. Orci, who is a screenwriter and a producer. Orci attended the University of Texas at Austin. Orci and Alex Kurtzman met when they were students at a private school in Santa Monica when they were 17 years old. The two now only collaborate on TV projects together.

The Hollywood Reporter named Orci one of the 50 Most Powerful Latinos in Hollywood in 2007.

Are you excited about Orci's take on "Star Trek?"