The sequel also gets an official title.
It’s been announced that the third entry in the rebooted Star Trek franchise has been titled Star Trek Beyond, which was revealed on director Justin Lin’s Twitter account along with a photo from the set:
Let the next Starfleet voyage begin! #StarTrekBeyond #LLAP pic.twitter.com/VZh9YvJgqA
— Justin Lin (@trailingjohnson) June 29, 2015
Known for his four entries in the lucrative Fast & Furious franchise, which he handed the reins over to director James Wan for this year’s box office-smashing seventh instalment, Lin has become celebrated for his action sensibilities and is an interesting replacement for J.J. Abrams, who is busy prepping Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015).
Abrams directed the opening two chapters in the regenerated versions of Gene Roddenberry’s original creation – 2009’s Star Trek and its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), which were as generally well received as they were profitable.
Nothing is known about the film’s plot and where the crew of the USS Enterprise will go following the events of Into Darkness, though Simon Pegg has joined Doug Jung for scriptwriting duties, with a hint that the action may take place in deeper space than what’s been seen before. Returning for the film are stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and John Cho as Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Dr. McCoy, Chekov and Sulu, respectively. Pegg will also reprise his role of engineer Scotty.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) star Sofia Boutella has also been cast in an unknown role, and it’s rumoured that Idris Elba will take on the role of the villain, following fellow Brit Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Khan last time round.
The news also comes after it was recently announced that Pine and Quinto have renegotiated their contracts to allow for a potential fourth film in the franchise, if Paramount decide to make one.
Star Trek Beyond will be released in UK cinemas July 8 2016
Source: Empire, Variety.
