Some very sad news today as the AP is reporting that Anton Yelchin has died in a freak accident. He was only 27 years old. His death comes mere weeks before he will be seen in Star Trek Beyond, reprising his role as Chekov. Yelchin's friends discovered him pinned by his car in the driveway at around 1am. It is believed to be an accident and no foul play is suspected.
The Russian-born Yelchin appeared in a number of small roles on the big and small screen before his breakout turn in the true crime drama, Alpha Dog. That led him to his biggest year yet, 2009, when he was cast in JJ Abrams' rebooted Star Trek franchise, as well as taking the role of Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation. He's jumped between smaller films and blockbusters ever since, featuring in Drake Doremus' Like Crazy, the Fright Night remake, Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive, Green Room, and The Smurfs among many others. He starred as my favorite literary character, Odd Thomas, in the recent adaptation of Dean Koontz's novels.
Yelchin has a number of upcoming projects on the way so we haven't seen the last of him on screen. Still it's sad to see such a talented person taken away at such a young age.
