'Star Trek' Lawsuit Rises Again

Maybe Justin Lin isn't as influential as J.J. Abrams thinks he is. Last month, Abrams said that Paramount had decided to drop its lawsuit against the makers of a Star Trek fan film thanks to the intervention of Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin. But The Hollywood Reporter reports this week that the lawsuit is still alive, and Paramount is acting as if it intends to continue its effort to stop the fan film.

The film, tentatively titled, Prelude to Axanar, is a prequel to the original CBS Star Trek TV series, and it will feature a story that was alluded to in that series.

"Within the next few weeks it will be announced this is going away and fans will be able to work on their projects," Abrams told reporters in May, saying that Lin's outrage over the lawsuit convinced Paramount to drop the matter.

However, this week, Paramount and CBS, the plaintiffs in the suit, filed documents with the court that denied that the fan film steers clear of copyright infringement. The filing represents an active step in continuing the suit, making it look as if Abrams' declaration of the suit's death was premature.

Meanwhile, Star Trek Beyond, which isn't having any legal issues at the moment, is set for release on July 22.