SDCC 2016: STAR TREK BEYOND to get World Premiere at Comic-Con with Concert Performance

As the biggest and highest profile Nerdvana on the planet, San Diego Comic-Con does get its fair share of firsts –  in recent memory, the convention saw the World Premiere screening of Jon Favreau‘s COWBOYS AND ALIENS, for its sins, in 2011. Indeed, this year will see the World Premiere of the DC Universe Animated Original, BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, courtesy of Warner Bros. But news has reached us of something truly special for 2016.

Comic-Con International have announced that the latest installment of the STAR TREK franchise, STAR TREK: BEYOND, will be screened for the first time anywhere at a special gala presentation at the Embarcadero Marina Park (located at the rear of the Convention Centre) on the Wednesday evening, 20th July, prior to the start of the convention itself.

The event will also be the world’s first outdoor IMAX premiere event AND consist of a live concert presentation of Michael Giacchino‘s score for the film by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, with hints that this will be a synchronized performance with the film. A high-wire act, indeed.

This is massive news for hardcore STAR TREK fans, even those that thought they were going to be treated to an excess of TREK content this year, what with the franchise celebrating its Fiftieth Anniversary in 2016.

The presentation will be attended in a red carpet event by a number of cast and crew from the film, including director Justin Lin (FAST AND FURIOUS).

“I am thrilled to celebrate the premiere of the film together with the fans at Comic-Con and excited for everyone there to experience Michael Giacchino’s incredible score played live,” said Lin, in the Comic-Con International official announcement on their Toucan Blog.

The revelation that cast will be showing their faces means that SIMON PEGG, who has co-written this latest chapter, might be making an appearance at SDCC for the first time since his Hall H panel for the film PAUL, in which he starred alongside his Cornetto Trilogy partner-in-crime. Nick Frost.

“We are both privileged and excited that Paramount Pictures, Skydance, and Bad Robot have chosen to honor fans by having the world premiere of the next chapter of Star Trek at Comic-Con this summer,” said David Glanzer, Comic-Con International‘s Director Of Publicity & Public Relations.

No details have been revealed yet about how and when the tickets will be unleashed on to the baying ST fandom in town for the event (although, based on previous concerts, you’re looking at a seating capacity of 3,000 – and 500 of those tickets have already been allocated for a number of fans who were unable to get in to the 50th Anniversary Fan Event, held in Los Angeles on Friday 20th June).

@darthmaul1309 @EnglishmanSDCC I'm basing it on this picture. Could be more…praying there is more pic.twitter.com/S4uTGSC6gW

— ImperatorJediBananas (@JediBananas) May 21, 2016

Watch this space – this is going to be a must-attend event for the dedicated Trekkie out there. Trekker. Trekster. You know what I mean.