“Anton Deserves Better,” J.J. Abrams Says Star Trek Won’t Recast Chekov

Star Trek Beyond hits theaters this week, but accompanying all the press and excitement about the film is the loss of 27-year-old actor Anton Yelchin, who passed away unexpectedly last month in a fatal accident. With news about a fourth installment in the franchise making rounds, what will become of Yelchin’s role? Will we be seeing a new Ensign Pavel Chekov?

In an interview with Postmedia Network, Abrams didn’t give details on how the films will address Yelchin’s loss, only that they’ve worked on it and that “it’s too early to talk about it.” He did, however, say that they would not looking for a new Chekov:

I would say there’s no replacing him. There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better.

Not having Chekov around is definitely going to be tough, but I definitely agree with Abrams that I can’t really imagine the fourth film recasting Yelchin with a different actor. However they decide to write it into the script, I imagine it’ll be reflective of the love and respect that the cast and team had for the young actor.

(via Birth.Movies.Death)

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