Karl Urban Almost Didn't Return For STAR TREK BEYOND

Karl Urban apparently gave serious consideration to the notion of not reprising his role as Dr. McCoy for Star Trek Beyond.  That's understandable, given the fact that J.J. Abrams' decision to vacate the director's chair for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the negative fan and critic reaction to the "big twist" in Star Trek Into Darkness.  However, it was new director Justin Lin who convinced Urban to return.  Said the Dredd actor, "I was on the fence about doing the movie until I spoke with Justin. I had a conflicting schedule, and I had a decision to make about which film to do, and I was no longer under contract to do a third picture. So I had a decision to make, and it was talking with Justin that enabled me to commit to it. It was fantastic. It was a breath of fresh air, and I really appreciated Justin's intimate knowledge and understanding of the character dynamics."

Still, the film is fighting an uphill battle.  Star Wars fervor currently has the entire sci-fi space opera fandom engulfed, leaving little room for anything else.  With a July 22 release date looming, there's very little buzz about the project, which has an estimated $150 million production budget from Paramount Pictures.  Reviews from critics will likely make or break the film's box office performance.  

"Star Trek Beyond," the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin ("The Fast and the Furious" franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In "Beyond," the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Directed by Justin Lin.  The cast includes Idris Elba, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin and Karl Urban. Star Trek Beyond is coming to theatres July 22, 2016.