Karl Urban almost passed on playing McCoy in Beyond...

[Hector]

Good thing he didn't...because he was terrific...probably stole the show...

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/star-trek-beyond-star-almost-didnt-return-for-201012914.html

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yeah, I heard that. They finally brought Bones up to the stature he's supposed to have, and with the Trek Trinity restored, that is one major reason this movie felt far more Trek-like.

Chris

[SKotK]

When I first read the title to this thread, I got the impression "nearly passed playing McCoy" meant Karl Urban nearly died during filming somehow...glad I was wrong. Anton Yelchin's passing was tragic enough, and it broke my heart every time I saw him or heard him speak in Star Trek Beyond. He will be greatly missed as Chekhov.

I can definitely see where Karl was coming from regarding his disappointment with McCoy's diminished role in Into Darkness. That was one of the film's biggest failings. But I'm so glad he stayed on for the ride, because it definitely paid off. He does a great McCoy, and Star Trek Beyond really nailed the Kirk/Spock/McCoy "trinity" this time while still giving other pair-offs some quality time as well. Glad to hear he's firmly in for the next one as well.

The other character that really impressed me this time was Scotty. He's probably the one I felt has been least like his original counterpart...up until now. In Beyond, he was really channeling the old Scotty this time, and I feel like he totally nailed it. I could almost see a young James Doohan up there on the screen acting the part at times. I can see that Simon Pegg really gets Star Trek as an actor and as a writer, and I have full confidence in him now. Good job, man!

--SKot

[Hector]

Glad you mentioned Pegg/Scotty...the dude has nicely settled into the role...well said.

[MIB41]

I wish they would give him another stab at Judge Dredd. I thought he was perfect in that!

[Hector]

I loved his Judge Dreed...waaaaaaaaaaaay better than Stallone's...waaaaaaaaaaaaay better...

[MIB41]

^^^Amen brotha!!!

[SKotK]

I've heard rumblings of Karl Urban coming back as Judge Dredd for another project...whether it's another movie or a series, I'm not sure. Either way, I'm happy to hear it. Urban made a fantastic Dredd, and while that film was sadly lacking in the black humor that makes the Judge Dredd comics so great, it was still a great film despite its excessive grimness. I liked it even better on second viewing.

Now, I'm one of the very few out there who actually liked the Stallone Judge Dredd movie. I never cared much for Stallone otherwise, but his normal on-screen persona was more Dredd than anyone out there at the time, so in my book he was perfect. Still should never have removed the helmet, though - cardinal rule: Dredd should never be seen without it. But the look of the film was great (the bikes, uniforms, and guns were spot-on), and it had the cynical humor the new one was lacking. Yeah, it went a little overboard occasionally, and Rob Schneider was a questionable choice for the Fergie role, but I still liked his take on it enough to give it a pass. And the Angel clan looked EXACTLY like the comic books. As a big fan of the Dredd comics in the 80s, I felt it was a surprisingly faithful big-screen translation, and I liked it. I know I'm in the absolute minority on this, though.

Whatever the next Dredd adaptation turns out to be, I'm hoping it's some kind of happy medium between the two films: all of the awesome grittiness of the recent film mixed with a bit more of the mirror-on-society ridiculous black humor of the 1995 one. That's all I ask. Oh, and Karl Urban again for sure.

--SKot