Sofia Boutella to play alien in 'Star Trek 3'

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Actress Sofia Boutella will play an alien in Star Trek Beyond.

The 33-year-old Algerian-French star was spotted in heavy makeup on the movie's set in Vancouver, B.C., this week. Boutella was seen with a painted white face and black facial markings, but Screen Crush reports her character doesn't appear to belong to an existing Star Trek race.

The actress was working alongside Chris Pine and Anton Yelchin, who portray James T. Kirk and Pavel Chekov in the reboot series. The actors wore more rugged versions of their usual Starfleet uniforms as they filmed their scenes.

Star Trek Beyond is directed by Fast & Furious helmer Justin Lin, and opens in theaters July 8, 2016. The movie co-stars Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura and writer Simon Pegg as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.

"People don't see it being a fun, brightly colored, Saturday night entertainment like The Avengers," Pegg recently told Radio Times. "Let's make a western or a thriller or a heist movie, then populate that with Star Trek characters so it's more inclusive to an audience that might be a little bit reticent."

Boutella came to fame as a dancer, and is also known for her modeling work with Nike. She previously starred in StreetDance 2 and Kingsman: The Secret Service, and is also scheduled for Jet Trash with Robert Sheehan and Tiger Raid with Brian Gleeson.