Screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci were the subject of 'Character-Driven Films (but Keep the Kaboom),' an article by Dave Itzkoff in the 'Arts and Leisure' section of Sunday's New York Times.  In spite of their love of the French new wave and their film school vows to make 'really revolutionary independent movies,' the screenwriting duo has penned a series of big budget action flicks including Mission Impossible III, The Island, and Michael Bay's Transformers film, which opens on July 3rd.  They took the Transformers job only after assurances from producer Steven Spielberg that 'it wouldn't be just a giant toy commercial,' and they proceeded to create a film about 'a boy and his car -- a car that just happens to be a robot in disguise.'

The N.Y. Times article also confirms a story that appeared on the Sci-Fi Wire indicating that Kurtzman and Orci's screenplay for the new Star Trek film is finished and ready to shoot.  Producer Damon Lindelof is quoted in the Times rhapsodizing about the script writing duo: 'The story is being cooked up by someone (Orci) who is aware of every shred of arcane Trekkery and someone (Kurtzman) who isn't hampered by decades of canon.'  The new Trek film provides Orci and Kurtzman another chance to work with J.J. Abrams for whom they wrote numerous episodes of the TV series Alias as well as M.I. III. (Orci and Kurtzman are also acting as producers on Cowboys & Aliens -- see 'Iron Man Scribe Tackles Cowboys & Aliens').