Right before the holidays we were talking about Star Trek 2 and how Benecio Del Toro was almost cast to be the villain in the film and how that fell apart, and then the rumors about possible alternate castings that could fill the mysterious role. Fast Forward to January and principle photography is expected to begin this month for the film and a couple of casting additions were made with Benedict Cumberbatch and Noel Clarke joining Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana and others for this next film.
Source: Screen Rant
There’s no official word from Paramount Pictures yet regarding the signing of the Brit actor, but The Wrap has the scoop that Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast into a “lead role” for the sequel to Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek.
While it is likely that Cumberbatch has been cast as the film’s primary villain, this news will undoubtedly confuse fans expecting a character reminiscent of Ricardo Montalban’s performance in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and that’s a good thing as no one wants an imitation. Regardless of whether or not the film will offer an alternate take on the character of Khan, Cumberbatch is an inspired choice as a villainous character opposite Captain Kirk and one that fans can easily get behind if they’ve seen his work.
Also making headlines today is another casting addition from the UK in the form of Noel Clarke (Doctor Who). Variety reports that Clarke will be playing a “family man with a wife and young daughter” in a smaller role, so take from that what you will.
I’m partially excited about this news. I’m not familiar with the works of either actor, but I hear so many positive things about each of them that I’m really looking forward to finding out what they have to offer. So far Abrams has yet to reveal any type of plot or story as to what this film entails, so I think we’re all having a hard to get a clear idea of what these guys might be doing. The popular rumor is to have someone portray Khan Noonien Singh but something tells me that Abrams may want to steer clear of revisiting any previous villains and instead offer something new. I’m still holding out hope for the Klingons! Do you guys have any theories?
