Star Trek 3: Zachary Quinto compares J.J. Abrams, Justin Lin

J.J. Abrams helmed the first two films in the latest Star Trek reboot, but when the director switched over to the Dark Side (i.e. Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Paramount scooped up longtime Trekkie Justin Lin to helm Star Trek Beyond. As teased by Zachary Quinto during the Tribeca Film Festival, the man behind Fast & Furious 6 will be making his mark on the beloved property.

“I think Justin brought his own vision to the story, for sure,” the actor said during a panel for the Leonard Nimoy documentary For the Love of Spock. “I don’t think he was trying to do it like J.J., which is great. And they’re very different people, they’re very different directors.”

He continued, “Both are enormously talented. J.J’s much more extrovert. Justin’s much more, sort of visually knows where he’s going with things and kind of keeps his distance a little bit, and I think he also came into a fully formed ensemble of people who’ve worked together and done some movies together. I loved working with him. He’s very respectful but very sure.”

Quinto, who shared a screen with Nimoy as Spock, said he believes the 50th anniversary of the film franchise (coming up this year) has influenced Star Trek Beyond. “There’s a retro kind of vibe to it — at least, I felt that when we were making it. So, we’ll see how it turns out.”

Star Trek Beyond will hit theaters on July 22, and while Quinto has begun making the press rounds, he hasn’t yet seen the finished film. “I haven’t seen it yet,” he said. “I just got back from London. We did a day of press there. So it’s starting to ramp up there.”