Dubai Gets Some Love From Captain Kirk & Jackie Chan

For a city that has already been proclaimed as belonging to the future, Dubai sure is seeing the love from the crew of the USS Enterprise. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Idris Elba tub-thumped for the glitzy Emirate on Wednesday to announce the commencement of photography of Star Trek Beyond on location there.

“We came searching for the future and we found it in Dubai,” said producer Jeffrey Chernov at a press conference that also included director Justin Lin and co-stars Simon Pegg and Karl Urban. “Dubai represents the future of what the frontier would be like in our film, and is an excellent place to shoot the movie as well as a special opportunity for all of us. This is not just the third of three movies, but has a new, refreshing twist, and Dubai’s great visuals really fit the story.”

Pine added, “I woke up this morning, opened up the blinds and it looks like whatever ‘tomorrow’ will be. It’s future land.”

Star Trek Beyond is the latest studio tentpole to come shoot in the U.A.E. This has been a banner year across the board for the Emirates from both an inward investment and production point of view. Jackie Chan is also currently in Dubai filming Kung Fu Yoga. The film, directed by Stanley Tong and a production of Beijing Taihe Entertainment Culture Development Co. Ltd., is the first project under India and China’s co-production agreement, which was signed in September 2014. The production is being serviced by AlKatraz Productions.

Dubai previously has attracted the likes of Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which memorably featured the sight of Tom Cruise hanging from the world’s tallest tower Burj Khalifa.

Neighboring Abu Dhabi scored two major coups by attracting both Furious 7 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens to shoot in the desert-set metropolis.

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