Anton Yelchin was ready to make directorial debut

Tragic actor Anton Yelchin had been planning to make his directorial debut this summer (16), according to his Star Trek co-star Chris Pine.

The 27-year-old's promising career was cut short in June (16), when he was killed in a freak car accident at his home in San Fernando Valley, California.

His death occurred as Yelchin and his Star Trek castmates were preparing to kick off a global promotional tour for the new sci-fi sequel, Star Trek Beyond, in which he reprised his role as youthful Russian navigator Pavel Chekov.

Yelchin's co-stars, including Pine, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, and John Cho, have since used the movie press tour to celebrate Anton's life and work, and now Chris reveals his late pal had been preparing to take on a new role and step behind the camera - while also juggling other creative projects.

"He was a great guy and totally fearless," Chris tells WENN. "You try to grasp onto something that's positive out of losing such a good guy and I think it's being fearless creatively. He had music and photography projects. He was gonna direct his first film this summer. He was just spectacularly interested in life in a great way."

Further details about Anton's planned directorial debut have not been revealed.

Meanwhile, Pegg, who also co-wrote Star Trek Beyond, admits he is still having trouble accepting Anton's passing, a month after his loss.

Simon says, "It still doesn't feel real. I can't find a way to process it. It won't sink in.

"My heart goes out to anybody who loses anybody suddenly or prematurely. It's such a psychological blow to even contemplate..."

"He was an incredibly intelligent man," the Brit continues. "He was an incredible soul and this beautiful boy and we all loved him. It's not something that's easy to talk about or want to be having to talk about, other than we miss him."

And fellow castmate Karl Urban echoes Simon's sentiments: "It's devastating to lose a family member. We're at a point where we should be celebrating not only this film but a beautiful man, this talented man.

"For all of us, it is incomprehensible to be at a point where we have to talk about him in the past. The pain of his loss is still very raw."

But Karl is confident fans will enjoy Anton's final outing as Chekov, and he knows Star Trek Beyond will mark a special time in the cast and crew's lives.

"We spent time with Anton's family and we know that they'll be very proud of his contribution in this film," he adds. "This film will forever be probably the most special experience for all of us. It represents the golden period where our family was fully together for the last time. It really was... the best summer of our adult lives. We love him so much and we miss him terribly."