"I would say there's no replacing him,” Star Trek producer J.J. Abrams told Postmedia Network of hiring another actor to replace the late Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov in the already-greenlit sequel to “Star Trek Beyond.”
“There's no recasting. I can't possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better. ... I have thought about (how he'll be replaced), we're working on it, and it's too early to talk about it."
One recalls Christopher Nolan making similar statements regarding the “The Dark Knight” Joker following the death of Heath Ledger.
When Paul Walker died during production of James Wan’s “Furious 7,” Walker’s character survived that movie but was not recast for next year’s sequel “Fast 8.” (Mia Toretto, romantic interest for the Walker character and sister of the Vin Diesel character, will again be played by Jordana Brewster in “Fast 8.”)
When Will Smith decided not to return for “Independence Day: Resurgence,” it was explained his character perished offscreen in a long-ago training mission.
In “Beyond” the death of the late Leonard Nimoy’s Spock Prime is alluded to.
The Chekov situation has me thinking about the future of Trek. Will Nimoy’s nearly 50-year run as Spock prove a tremendous outlier? Chris Pine and Zach Quinto were long ago contracted for the sequel to “Beyond,” but is it possible Kirk and Spock could go the way of Peter Parker and Jack Ryan and Tarzan, with new actors brought in to reboot the Trek franchise every few years?
Find the Toronto Sun’s story on the matter here.
