Castmate heartbroken over Anton Yelchin
Chekov role won’t be recast, says Star Trek Beyond producer J.J. Abrams
You cannot knowledgeably watch “Star Trek Beyond” without the pang of awareness that this is the last we’ll see of Anton Yelchin’s Chekov.
Now, producer J.J. Abrams says, it’s the last we’ll see of Chekov, period. At least in terms of new work within Abrams’ run on the rebooted film franchise.
“Star Trek Beyond” viewers are likely to mourn when they see the sage visage of Leonard Nimoy (ambassador Spock), who died last year after a long and rewarding career as actor and director.
Yet when we watch Yelchin’s latest and last turn as Chekov, the sense of loss underscores how much young promise is lost. The Russian-born Yelchin died in an accident last month at age 27.
“He was a young man who was just starting to become what he was going to become,” John Cho, who plays helmsman Sulu right next to Yelchin’s Chekov on the starship Enterprise’s bridge, told the Washington Post. “I can’t even begin to express how badly my heart has been broken by his passing.”
Cho and Yelchin had acted together in all three “Star Trek” films since the 2009 reboot by Abrams.
“Star Trek showed just 1/100th of his range,” Cho said of his castmate. “He was an excellent mind, a courageous artist … I’m just missing him and still processing his loss.”
Abrams told the Toronto Sun the Chekov role won’t be recast for the producer’s planned fourth “Star Trek” film. “I would say there’s no replacing him,” Abrams said of Yelchin. “I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better.”
Cho plans to mourn his colleague in part through his work, which included “Charlie Bartlett,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Like Crazy” and the TV series “Huff.”
“I intend to celebrate him ... to get through that sadness,” Cho told the Post. “I enjoy watching him, and I will spend a year watching everything he ever did.”