Simon Pegg has supported the idea of Roberto Orci directing the next Star Trek instalment.

The actor, who plays Scotty, said that he thinks the director choice makes "perfect sense", reports BBC News.

Pegg said: "He emailed me before the news broke saying, 'Hey man, I might be doing this, shall we nerd out?'

"He's a good friend, he's very much part of the Star Trek family."

Pegg also said that he is glad an "outside" director isn't coming onto the project.

"I'm really happy he's doing it as it's kept within the family kind of thing," he said. "It's not somebody coming in from outside.

"Bob's been there since the first Star Trek - by that I mean the 2009 one - so it seemed to make perfect sense that he come in as a director on this one because he gets it.

"He was always the most Trekkie of all of those guys anyway, he's always understood the story the best, so it's great that he's going to be involved in the writing and directing."

J.J. Abrams on the set of 'Star Trek: Into Darkness'

Orci has clarified that he will not be confirmed as director of the Star Trek sequel until the project is given the greenlight by Paramount Pictures.

Original director of the first two instalments JJ Abrams is currently working on Star Wars Episode VII.