JJ Abrams 'forced' to make Star Trek sequel in 3D

Director says Paramount wouldn't go forward with the project unless he agreed

JJ Abrams has told how he was 'forced' into making the new 'Star Trek' sequel in 3D, despite his disliking for the format.

The director of 'Star Trek Into Darkness' added that Paramount would only green-light the project if he complied.

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Speaking to SFX magazine, he said: “The studio said, 'You have to make it in 3D if you're going to make it, for economic reasons'.

“But my feeling was I didn't like 3D. So the idea of doing Star Trek in 3D was ridiculous. I have trouble with 3D sometimes. I can't see it right; I get a headache; it annoys me; I hate the glasses; I hate the fact that things get so dim."

However, Abrams said that eventually he was won over and now he is 'a believer' thanks to newer methods of shooting, including using multiple 'virtual cameras'.

“I approached it very cynically. And the fact is that we've been using techniques that haven't been used before in 3D. They've figured out things. They've made enough movies now with this new process that they can understand ways to eliminate some of these problems.

“There's this myth that if you don't shoot the movie in 3D it doesn't look good. Actually, the opposite can be true. The key for me is I got to make my 2D movie that I wanted to make, just the way I wanted to; and it gets to be augmented in 3D but that doesn't detract from the 2D.”

The film will open in the UK on May 17.