Sofia Boutella Gets a Lead Role in Star Trek 3

Sofia Boutella, 33, the Algerian-French actress recently seen on the big-screen as the blade-legged Gazelle in the Kingsman: The Secret Service movie, has been set for a still undisclosed lead role in Star Trek 3, a Paramount/Skydance film produced by Bad Robot based on the classic Gene Roddenberry series, according to Deadline. Also as previously announced by the studio, Star Trek 3 will be released on July 8, 2016, marking the 50-year anniversary of the TV launch of the landmark science-fiction series.

Not much has been revealed about the plot for upcoming third movie, the follow-up to Star Trek Into Darkness, which starred Benedict Cumberbatch in the villain role as Khan. The second film featured Klingons, one of the protagonists' enemies during the movies' time period. Rumors have it that Klingons will also be featured in Star Trek 3.

Justin Lin is helming Star Trek 3 after Robert Orci backed out and J.J. Abrams, who directed the first two Star Trek reboots, is already committed to direct Disney's Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Orci also backed out of writing the script for the film and had to be replaced by Doug Jung and Simon Pegg who is already on board the Star Trek franchise as an actor, playing the part of Scotty.

As to what to expect from the script for Star Trek 3, Pegg in a recent interview said: "We just want to take it forward with the spirit of the TV show. And it's a story about frontierism and adventure and optimism and fun, and that's where we want to take it, you know. Where no man has gone before - where no one has gone before, sensibly corrected for a slighter more enlightened generation." 

Filming for Star Trek 3 is scheduled to begin on April 15, 2015. Along with Pegg, also confirmed to return to reprise their roles in the series are Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Karl Urban (McCoy), Zoe Saldana (Uhura) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov).