'Star Trek 2' in Pre-Production This January: Get Plot, Crew and Location Details

Almost three years after the reboot that revived the franchise, Trekmovie.com reports that the sequel to J.J. Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek" is shifting into gear.

With production officially beginning Jan. 15, 2012, "Star Trek 2" pre-production actually began several months ago, including Abrams himself reportedly scouting locations in Hawaii - where Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindeloff filmed a vast majority of the Abrams-produced ABC series "Lost" - for an "jungle planet" stand-in.

A source allegedly close to production has also told the website the shooting schedule includes time at a Los Angeles museum doubling for a "famous 'Star Trek' location."

Meanwhile, the site states that writers have been fleshing out an "extensive outline" of a third-draft script, featuring action reportedly "bigger in scope" than the first movie's, but that should "ensure the film fits into the budget that Paramount has set."

Put that in perspective a moment: the first was one of the most successful IMAX releases in that format's history. This could be bigger than that. Many sets and costumes, including the USS Enterprise, will be simply taken out of storage and re-used, while ILM technicians have already been fleshing out some effects shot, some of which require no filmed footage.

"Rewriting is a good thing which normally makes the script better," said producer/co-writer Roberto Orci. "We like to keep pushing the script even if no one gives us notes."

Plot details haven't yet surfaced, but the entire main cast - including Christopher Pine as James T.  Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu and Karl Urban as Dr. "Bones" McCoy - has been tapped to return to duty.

Abrams has previously said that it would be "ridiculous not to be open" to possibly employing a resurrected William-Shatner Kirk as he did Leonard Nimoy as an alternate-reality Spock Prime in his first "Star Trek," though Shatner himself has waffled back and forth between whether or not he'd be interested in appearing. Nor has Abrams in the past ruled out an appearance by Kirk's single greatest enemy, Khan Noonien Singh, played most famously both on the originally 1960s TV series and in "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" by the late Ricardo Montalban.

Actually, considering that Benicio Del Toro has been under consideration to play a villain, a Del Toro turn as Khan could make fine sense. Like all the other main cast members, he would at least look the part enough to resemble a much-younger Montalban.

Production officially began on Abrams' reboot in 2007, meaning it took almost two full years from the time the crew shot the first scene to the day the film first hit theaters. But it proved worth Paramount's wait: the Abrams reboot ultimately made $385.7 million at the box office on a $150-million budget.