We can finally end the speculation and the wait is now almost over. J.J. Abrams has officially signed on to direct the sequel to 2009's summer blockbuster Star Trek.

According to Vulture, the project is finally moving forward, and quickly. The pre-production phase has begun and the site reports that the script, written by Bob Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof, is expected to be finished by the end of the month. The plan is to begin shooting at the start of next year, meaning that the earliest we will see a Star Trek sequel will be in 2013.

While it was always assumed that J.J. Abrams would return to the director's chair for Star Trek: The Second, it was never a guarantee. In July it was reported that Abrams had begun sitting down with the writers to work on the script, but hadn't fully committed himself to helming the project. At that same time, Paramount decided to give the movie's set release date, June 29, 2012, to G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation. Vulture says that one of the major obstacles that the project has had to work around is Kurtzman's directorial debut, Welcome To People. Kurtzman has been dedicated to editing and completing the film, but now that it's ready he can fully dedicate himself to the new Star Trek.

If there's a higher being out there, it will make it so the years we've had to wait for the sequel will be directly proportional to how good it is. While doing press for Super 8 this past summer, Abrams said that he doesn't think "anyone wants a movie on time that’s not worth your time.” Let's hope the extra work has been helpful.