Abrams: Chekov will not be recast for next Star Trek movie

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Star Trek Beyond hits theaters this weekend, but its opening has been understandably overshadowed by the tragic death of actor Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov. A fourth movie in the rebooted sci-fi series was announced this week, but the question remains whether the character will be recast. Now producer JJ Abrams has confirmed that this will not be the case.

In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Abrams--who also directed Yelchin in the first two films in the new series--was asked about hiring another actor to play the iconic role. "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."

However, Abrams did reveal that killing the character off remained a possibility. "I have thought about it. We're working on it, [but] it's too early to talk about it," he said.

Yelchin died in June as the result of a car accident. His fellow cast and crew members subsequently offered a series of touching tributes.

Although Star Trek Beyond is yet to even open, Paramount have confirmed that another film is on the way. Thor star Chris Hemsworth, who appeared in 2009's Star Trek as George Kirk, is set to return to the series.

Abrams will again produce, but there's no word on a director. Fast and Furious director Justin Lin took the reigns for Beyond.

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