Star Trek fans can look forward to an exclusive preview of the forthcoming Star Trek Beyond, which was partly shot in Dubai this year, at December's Dubai International Film Festival. Details were still being confirmed at the time of writing, however our sources at the festival tell us that an exclusive 'sizzle' of the movie, which is set for a July 2016 release, will be screened over the course of the event, which runs from December 9-16.
The movie's stars, including Simon Pegg, Chris Pine and Idris Elba were shooting in the Emirate just a few weeks ago. They could be set for an early return to showcase the early fruits of their work, in which Dubai is said to be playing an alien 'vertical city,' as well as hosting what appeared to be a large Star Fleet base at DIFC. As an aside, the highly technical term 'sizzle' is usually applied to a short showreel that aspiring producers and directors take to would-be studios or broadcasters to pitch their idea for a movie or show. We're fairly confident that, in this instance, the screening will be purely for entertainment purposes as producer JJ Abrams and director Justin Lin seem to have done a fairly good job of selling their project already. cnewbould@thenational.ae