Even though the sci-fi sequel was announced in conjunction with an official statement hailing from producer J.J. Abrams, there’s still some degree of uncertainty surrounding the canonical Star Trek 4.
WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman was revealed to be directing the movie last year, but months went by without a confirmation or denial as to whether or not it was the fourth installment in the Kelvin timeline.
That looked to have been cleared up, but a subsequent report outlined that none of the key players were even aware they’d be required on set before the end of this year in order to meet the December 2023 release date.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaña, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Simon Pegg are all expected to sign on the dotted line, though, but Star Trek 4 will nonetheless be a bittersweet experience following the passing of Anton Yelchin in June 2016 at the age of just 27.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Saldana reflected on the emotions that are set to come with reuniting the Enterprise crew without one of its key members.
“We’re excited. Obviously, it’s bittersweet because we are coming together for a fourth time and one of us is no longer with us with Anton’s passing, but we honestly feel that going back and keeping the Star Trek family together is a way to really keep him alive in our thoughts and our hearts because he was such a fan. And he was such a devoted artist to the craft and also to Star Trek. So, it would be great to get to go back to work and get to, you know, be together with the gang.”
Star Trek Beyond paid tribute to Yelchin in the credits, and we can expect that to carry on through the next outing, with the actor remaining a sorely-missed presence.
Published: Mar 1, 2022 8:50 AM UTC