Anton Yelchin’s role in the Star Trek movies will not be recast following his death, producer JJ Abrams has said.
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“As wonderful as this is to be here with all of you, and to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, there is something wrong tonight”.
Yelchin died on June 19, at the age of 27, when his own auto rolled down the driveway and pinned him between the brick mailbox and security fence of his Los Angeles home.
Now, Executive Producer J.J. Abrams has opened up to clear the air and put the fandom at ease.
The actor – born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) – played the Russian-accented Chekov in all three Star Trek reboot films.
Speaking to Postmedia Network, Abrams said: “I would say there’s no replacing him”. Chekov was prominent in the original series, and with the movies following a new timeline with those same characters, the writers have the option of bringing in a new actor to play the role or not include the character at all. We knew going into this movie it would be a bit of a heartbreak just because of Leonard [Nimoy]. “I’m new to that kind of grief and new to losing people and it’s just an very bad thing but at least we had our friends there”.
When asked if the death of the character would be written into the next instalment, Abrams answered: ‘I have thought about it, we’re working on it, and it’s too early to talk about it’.
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Earlier this week, Paramount confirmed that a fourth Star Trek film is on its way, with Chris Hemsworth slated to return, making Trekkies naturally wonder how Yelchin’s character will be handled.
