It all started three years ago with a Kickstarter campaign that helped raise funds to develop the project. Last year, we got to see the five-minute short film, which takes place in a world where man’s attempt to create artificial intelligence has spun wildly out of control. Now, the sci-fi short film, Rise, is now being developed into a full feature-length movie! It’s so sad that Anton will be no longer be part of the project, but I’m sure he’d be very happy about this news. Check out the short film below.

Source: Variety

Guillermo del Toro spoke with Entertainment Weekly and talked about the renewal of Trollhunters and how Anton’s work will go on for the second season. The first season is still available for streaming on Netflix.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: It seems like you have some news to share.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO: Well, we got very good news about how many people were watching the series, but we got confirmation that the next [13] episodes are a go. We’ve been working on a second season for a while now because we knew that if everything went right, we could proceed. We’re going to go ahead and now continue, rather than start, because we’ve been doing it for more than a year. The reality and the beauty of this is that we can continue not only the storyline and the characters, but we have a huge swath of work from Anton that allows us to continue Anton through more than half the season.

How did you approach the show following the loss of Anton?
From the get-go, even in the first season, we knew we wanted to preserve as much of the performance of Anton as possible, both from an artistic and a human point of view, and also simply because I think it’s a tribute to what we think he brings to the role of Jim. From the beginning when we planned the writers’ room, we set out a map of 52 episodes, and created arcs that break every 13, and those were planned four years ago. So we have been recording Kelsey Grammer, Anton, Ron Perlman, Clancy Brown, everybody involved in the series for years and years. And there was a break in the arc in the right episode that allows us to preserve all the work that Anton did that was phenomenal. At the end of recording sessions, Anton did one of the most complex episodes and then he looked at the pilot, complete, and there was a great moment in which he was able to see the work and do a really complicated episode in which he did multiple voices and we were all so proud and so close when we lost him. And now I can tell you, we’re not only going to second season, but we’re going to be able to preserve a really large part of it with Anton’s voice.

Does his passing change anything in your initial plan, or are you sticking to it?
Actually, coincidentally, we have an event in the last episode Anton did which allows us to sort of change his voice slightly, so the character stays — but we didn’t plan this. It was pure serendipity that we had that in the works. The beats of the second season have been set for years, and as of now, we have not altered or needed to alter a single beat.

When Anton Yelchin was killed in a freak car accident last June, the 27-year-old actor left behind five unreleased movies: “Star Trek Beyond,” the romance “Porto,” the delayed missing-son drama “We Don’t Belong Here,” a sci-fi mystery called “Rememory” and the twisted psychodrama “Thoroughbred.” We’ll now spend the year bidding Yelchin another bittersweet farewell with each release.

The latest sendoff came this weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, where the sensational “Thoroughbred” premiered. Yelchin has a supporting role in the movie, a “Heathers”-meets-”Persona” psychodrama depicting two wealthy teen girls (Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke) who concoct a twisted murder plot in suburban Connecticut.

“Thoroughbred” wrapped production two weeks before Yelchin’s death. It was the last movie he shot.

“He is truly a phenomenal actor and an unbelievable person, and I think all of us feel incredibly lucky to have spent time with him and to love him and to allow him to inspire us,” Taylor-Joy told The Huffington Post on Sunday as Cooke nodded along with her sentiments. “It’s really a testament to his ability as a performer because [Tim, Yelchin’s character], in the script ? it’s not that he’s not fleshed out, but I think a lesser actor would have made him more of a parody. The sympathy and the love that we feel toward him? He’s just having a rough time. [Our characters] grab him and pull him into something, and you really feel for him.”

The “something” Taylor-Joy alludes to is the aforementioned murder of her character’s savage stepfather (Paul Sparks). Yelchin plays a registered sex offender and local drug dealer. Because he has a gun, the girls lure Tim into their devilish scheme ? he joins “Team Estrogen,” as Cooke put it. Yelchin is dynamite in the role, frazzled and wide-eyed with paranoia.

“It was incredibly sad to hear the news,” first-time writer/director Cory Finley said, referring to Yelchin’s death. “I think I can speak for everyone in saying we felt very, very fortunate to have worked with him. He was, first, just a consummate artist on set. He did a lot of improvisation and came in with a lot of really specific character work done and really had a vision for the character and had a huge role in shaping that part.”

After a slew of enthusiastic reviews for “Thoroughbred,” Focus Features purchased theatrical rights for around $5 million, a decent sum for a Sundance title without much pre-festival buzz. No release date has been announced.

“He was also just the kindest, funniest and most playful guy on the set,” Finley said. “We always really loved him. It was a huge loss, but he was an amazing actor and a great guy.”

Featuring works from 22 countries and a new environmental theme being called New Climate, this first round of the full lineup sees five Day One movies kicking the festival off January 19 next year.

Thoroughbred / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Cory Finley) — Two teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. In the process, they learn that neither is what she seems to be—and that a murder might solve both of their problems. Cast: Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin, Paul Sparks, Francie Swift, Kaili Vernoff. World Premiere

Source: Deadline

An exhibit showcasing Anton’s photography is now open to public viewing at Other Gallery in Los Angeles, and will remain on display until the end of the year. The tribute wall signed by fans at this year’s Star Trek convention is also part of the exhibit. The opening was held yesterday, and some celebrities were there in attendance, including Star Trek co-stars Chris Pine and John Cho, and directors J.J. Abrams and Drake Doremus. I have added some photos into the gallery!

Update: The address for Other Gallery is 1050 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038, for those who would like to see the exhibit. Thanks to @Nien_Nunb for the info!

The organization that presents the Academy Awards is dedicating a performance of promising new screenplays to late actor Anton Yelchin.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday that its annual Nicholl Fellowships live-read event will be presented in Yelchin’s honor.

The “Star Trek” actor performed at the first Nicholl live read in 2013. He died in June when his Jeep rolled down his driveway and crushed him. His parents have sued the vehicle’s manufacturer.

Yelchin’s “Star Trek” co-star John Cho, as well as actors Cary Elwes, Aja Naomi King and Alia Shawka are set to perform selected scenes from this year’s five winning screenplays on Nov. 3 at the film academy’s headquarters in Beverly Hills, California. The winning screenwriters were announced last month.

The Nicholl Fellowships is the academy’s annual, global screenwriting competition. Winners receive $35,000 and academy support toward the completion of a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year.

Winning Nicholl scripts have also been produced and released theatrically, including 2006’s “Akeelah and the Bee” and “Stockholm, Pennsylvania,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year.

Source: Page Six

Back in 2005, Anton starred in the independent drama-thriller, Fierce People, with Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Evans. I have updated the gallery with additional production stills and poster from the film, as well as 1,053 high-resolution screencaps. Huge thanks to Dianne at Chris Evans Online for generously donating the screencaps!