Yelchin has played Chekov since the start of the Star Trek reboot in 2009 and will be seen on the big screen this weekend in Star Trek Beyond.
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In June, Yelchin died in a freak auto accident at the age of 27. The model of auto – a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee – was recalled by Fiat Chrysler just two months before for a risky parking gear defect.
Filmmaker JJ Abrams and the team of Star Trek Beyond paid tribute to one of the cast members, Anton Yelchin, who died last month after a freak automobile accident at his home in Studio City. “There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better”, says Abrams.
“I would say there’s no replacing him”, Abrams told The Toronto Sun.
The sudden passing of Anton Yelchin raises the issue and it’s one with which Star Trek producers have already been grappling. As the production team is no doubt going into overdrive in creating a story for Star Trek 4, producer J.J. Abrams reveals that Chekov’s fate has already been determined. As the press release notes, “Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk will cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father”.
The new film will not be penned by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung though, with J D Payne and Patrick McKay taking on writing duties this time.
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Abrams, who also directed Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, refused to disclose whether the character would be killed off in the future instalment.
