Anton Yelchin's Chekov Will Not Be Recast in Future 'Star Trek' Films

BY Josiah HughesPublished Jul 19, 2016

Last month, 27-year-old actor Anton Yelchin was tragically killed in a freak auto accident. He last reprised his role as Chekov in the forthcoming Star Trek Beyond. While there's at least one more Star Trek film on the way, producer J.J. Abrams insists that Yelchin is irreplaceable. 

In a new interview with Postmedia, Abrams said that this iteration of Star Trek will only ever see Yelchin play the character of Chekov.

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

Abrams added that he's simply considering killing off the character to make things more simple. "I have thought about it.... We're working on it, and it's too early to talk about it."

In related news, Anton Yelchin's parents recently took out a full-page ad in The Hollywood Reporter to thank the public for their overwhelming support following the young actor's death. You can see the ad in full below.

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