Star Trek: Beyond Will Be "Very Different" From Previous Films, Director Says

Star Trek Beyond is the latest film in the long-running sci-fi franchise, and the third since it rebooted in 2009. While JJ Abrams directed the previous two movies, Fast and Furious veteran Justin Lin has taken over for Beyond, and has now spoken about how he hopes to make it different from what has come before.

In an interview with Collider, Lin explained that he wanted to bring the influence of the original TV show to this movie. "I feel like it's important to maybe try to deconstruct why Federation, Starfleet, and why Star Trek is special," he said. "It is very different than the other two. But it reflects kind of my chapter or my turn as a gatekeeper for this one.

"I felt like I've had years and years as a fan, as a kid kinda growing up watching the TV show, I wanted to really kind of explore the five-year journey, and also to kind of explore all the relationships."

Lin also gave a few hints as to what fans could expect from Idris Elba's mysterious bad guy Krall. "It definitely is not a character you've seen before," he revealed. "For me it was important because this film would not exist without this character. And I feel like it was important when I had that first meeting, and once I decided what journey this film should take, it really was hinged off, again, this antagonist's philosophy. And so, that's one of the things, and also getting one of Idris's caliber and talent has been amazing.

"I wanted to create something that would challenge, and also in a very valid way, the philosophy of the Federation. "

Earlier this week a series of new posters were released, featuring the movie's iconic heroes. Check them out in a gallery here.

Star Trek: Beyond is set for release on July 22, 2016. It stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Anton Yelchin.

In other news about the franchise, the video game Star Trek Online is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year. You can watch a trailer and see some screens here.