J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost, Alias, and Felicity and director of the soon-to-be-released Mission Impossible III, has been signed to produce and direct the next Star Trek feature film, according to Variety.  He's bringing along producers Damon Lindelof (who's also a comic writer, see 'Lost Co-Creator Pens 'Ultimate' Series') and Brian Burk from Lost. 

Abrams is also writing the script with the M:I:3 writing team.  According to the report, the story will focus on Spock and Kirk's early years at Starfleet Academy and their first mission. 

Star Trek hasn't been on TV since Enterprise was cancelled (see 'UPN Pulls the Plug on Enterprise'), and there hasn't been a movie for four years.  But there's still a steady, if diminished, stream of licensed products and a large fan based that's been built up over the 40 years since the property first appeared on TV.