With just under two months until its theatrical premiere (as of this writing), Paramount is going all in on the latest wave of marketing for Star Trek Beyond. At a fan event last week, the studio unveiled a second trailer for the film that was seen as a marked improvement from the initial teaser. Now, the focus seems to be on posters. Following a collection of one-sheets that paid homage to classic Trek films, Paramount has started to roll out posters that spotlight individual characters from the film.
New alien Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) and U.S.S. Enterprise doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) were the first to receive this treatment yesterday. Today, they're joined by two more members of the Enterprise crew: Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin), hinting that the intention is to eventually give each principal cast member their own poster.
The artwork for both are similar in design to the Bones and Jaylah one-sheets, with Spock and Chekov sporting serious facial expressions with the threat of villain Krall's (Idris Elba) army of ships looming towards them. Check out the posters below:
After many Star Trek fans (and even key players of the Beyond creative team) expressed displeasure with the Beastie Boys fueled first trailer, Paramount had to work overtime to course-correct their marketing campaign for the upcoming threequel. By all accounts, they've been successful at turning things around relatively quickly. The second Beyond preview appeared to invoke classic franchise tropes and was driven more by quieter character moments than bombastic action sequences. Members of the cast and crew have long promised that the newest film captures the spirit of the seminal original series in a way neither of J.J. Abrams' installments did, which is nice to hear. 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, and it would be a shame if the celebration was something of a letdown with a mediocre film.
As a movie series, Star Trek is in an interesting spot. The 2009 reboot reinvigorated the property and brought it to the next generation of audiences, but the 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness was rather divisive. That film has its fans, but it was largely seen as derivative fan service that didn't bring anything new to the table and was further criticized for mishandling the "shocking" Khan reveal. Abrams, who is a producer on Beyond, openly discussed Into Darkness' faults last year, so the hope is Beyond tells a fresh and engaging story that pushes the modern films in an exciting direction. References are to be expected for a property that's lasted this long, but Beyond should be able to stand on its own merits.
For their part, Paramount feels as if they have a winner. They're already making preparations for a Star Trek 4, which will bring Chris Pine and Quinto back as the dynamic duo of James T. Kirk and Spock. But if a fourth entry is to happen, Beyond needs to be a critical and commercial hit, capturing that magic once again. It's a crowded landscape in the realm of Hollywood tentpoles, but Star Trek has endured for five decades among many highs and lows. Chances are it can continue to live long and prosper.
NEXT: Star Trek Beyond Bones and Jaylah Character Posters
Star Trek Beyond hits theaters July 22, 2016.
Source: Paramount Pictures