AFP - Plans for a sequel to the eagerly anticipated summer blockbuster "Star Trek" are under way, entertainment industry daily Variety said Tuesday.
  
Hollywood's 11th big screen adaptation of the beloved science fiction television series is due for release in North America on May 8.
  
"Star Trek" is one of Hollywood's most enduring successes with six series totalling 726 episodes, including memorable characters such as Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. "Bones" McCoy and Scotty.
  
Ten previous films in the "Star Trek" franchise have grossed more than one billion dollars at the box office.
  
Hype has been building for months over the latest film, which is being directed by J.J. Abrams, best known as one of the creators of hit television series "Lost" and monster movie "Cloverfield."
  
Variety said Paramount had already hired a team of writers to pen a sequel to the latest film, with Abrams producing with Bryan Burk.
  
Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof are to script the sequel, which was being planned for a 2011 release, Variety reported.
  
"There's obviously a lot of hubris involved in signing on to write a sequel of a movie that hasn't even come out yet," Lindelof was quoted as saying. "But we're so excited about the first one that we wanted to proceed."