Star Trek Beyond beams into cinemas across the galaxy this week, but it inevitably comes with a bittersweet edge, marking one of the final roles for Anton Yelchin, who tragically died last month, aged 27. In a recent interview, the film's executive producer J.J. Abrams has confirmed that his part will not be recast.
“I would say there’s no replacing him,” Abrams told the Toronto Sun. “There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better,” he said.
Yelchin first played Pavel Chekov in the 2009 reboot, and returned for Star Trek Into Darkness and this year’s Beyond. A fourth entry in the rebooted series was confirmed this week, suggesting confidence in the success of Beyond. But it will not feature Chekov.
The new film is dedicated to Yelchin as well as original Spock Leonard Nimoy, who also died this year, as Abrams acknowledged. “We knew going into this movie it would be a bit of a heartbreak just because of Leonard. We had no idea just how devastating events would become.”
Star Trek Beyond arrives in cinemas on Friday. Read why Star Trek still matters with interviews from key cast and crew right here.