Simon Pegg And Star Trek Beyond Director Reveal They Quit The Film

By Charlene Badasie | Published

Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin says making the film was so intense that he and Simon Pegg, who co-wrote and starred in the movie as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, quit the project. “Simon and I joke about it now, but it was intense. I had quit three times, and Simon had quit four times. Also, we didn’t know each other,” Lin said.

Justin Lin Struggled With His Duties Directing The Film

“For me, Simon Pegg, it was a dream to have the opportunity to work with [producer J.J Abrams], but he comes from a very traditional process,” Lin added about Star Trek Beyond. “But I’m sitting there in Vancouver, and I have to start building sets. Star Trek is not like Fast and Furious; every idea you come up with is a build. And we had no time. I didn’t know if we were going to make it out of that first week.”Justin Lin also gave some context about the intensity behind the scenes of Star Trek Beyond. At the time, the third Star Trek film was believed to be well into development after the success of the first two reboot movies. However, the project was on the verge of disaster. That’s when Justin Lin received a call from J.J. Abrams while he was shooting True Detective in Ventura.

Challenges Crafting The Script

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Abrams asked if Lin had any interest in Star Trek, and after learning that he had fond memories of the franchise from watching it with his father, Abrams asked if Lin had an idea for a Star Trek Beyond. Lin was surprised to hear that the project was shut down despite being in pre-production. Abrams invited Lin to discuss his ideas at the office.

So Lin shared his idea for Star Trek Beyond with J.J. Abrams. The timeline was tight as they needed to start production soon, leaving little time for pre-production work. There was also no script in place, making the situation even more challenging. Lin flew to London to collaborate with Simon Pegg, who was already on board to assist with the script for the third film.

Together with writer Doug Jung, Lin and Pegg worked to develop a script within a short timeframe. Justin Lin described the entire process as one of the toughest challenges he had ever faced, highlighting the pressure and urgency that surrounded the development and production of Star Trek Beyond.

Star Trek Beyond Is The Third Entry In The Kelvin Timeline Of Movies

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Star Trek Beyond is the 13th film in the Star Trek movie franchise and the third film in the rebooted series known as the Kelvin Timeline. The story follows USS Enterprise and its crew, led by Captain James T. Kirk, on a five-year mission exploring deep space. However, during their journey, they are ambushed and attacked by a powerful and mysterious alien force led by Krall.

The attack results in the destruction of the Enterprise, leaving the crew stranded on an unknown planet. Separated from each other, the crew must find a way to regroup and thwart Krall’s plans, which involve a deadly bioweapon that could pose a significant threat to the entire galaxy. Star Trek Beyond received generally positive reviews from critics.

Star Trek Beyond Couldn’t Live Up To Its Predecessors

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Interestingly, Star Trek Beyond had a mixed performance at the box office and did not perform as well as its predecessors in the rebooted Star Trek film series. Released in 2016, the film grossed approximately $343 million worldwide, falling short of the figures achieved by Star Trek in 2009 and Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013, both directed by J.J. Abrams.

The Cast

Star Trek Beyond featured a star-studded cast, including Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty, John Cho as Sulu, Idris Elba as Captain Balthazar Edison/Krall, and the late Anton Yelchin as Chekov.Source: Happy Sad Confused