At the 3:10 to Yuma junket IGN had a chance to ask Russell Crowe about the ‘Paramount want Crowe to be the Star Trek villain’ story they first reported a couple of weeks ago. It seemed to be the first time Crowe had heard about it (although co-star co-star Christian ‘Batman’ Bale had some fun with it)..see video
Even though they first reported the Crowe link, IGN acknowledges the actor (due to his schedule) is unlikely to end up in the film. However, it has been reported here and at the Hollywood Reporter that Paramount wants an A-Lister for the villain role…leaving the question open: who will the big name villain be?
big-name villain Ideas, eh?
hmm…
should we start looking into professional wrestlers? :P
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
HULK HOGAN IS KHAN!
Two of the biggest actors in hollywood talking Star Trek. Cool regardless.
Y’know, Christian Bale WOULD make a good villain – he could play any number of characters.
#4
Kirk has a flashback to his great great great grandfather, Bruce Wayne.
Rupert Everrett is…. Trelane of Gothos!
Seriously lets not have a huge name actor as the villain. It would be like Jack Nicholson as the Joker all over gain. The focus of the movie would shift to the villain and the heroes would be given short shrift.
CROOOOOOOOOOOOWWE! is it just me and my hopeful attitude but he seemed a bit offish when Star Trek was mentioned, could it be that he does know and doesn’t or cant let on about Trek? – or is that just Crowes persona coming through. i think its the latter but hopefuly he will be in Star Trek – he’s a quality actor who will definitely fit the bill to play an angry Ozy villan
#7 I agree, he seemed very ‘deadpan’ in his delivery there. It would take a pretty strong actor to go toe to toe with him.
my list of possible villians.
– Patrick Stewart, they could make him some cool evil alien
-Nicholas cage ( i liked him in FaceOff)
-Michael Keaton, because he is awesome
– Christian Bale
i’m sure they could all do a good job…. ofcourse Mr. Cage lately just seems to play the different characters with the same attitude and characteristics.
I think Crowe would immediately outprice himself.
Like it or not, there is a stigma associated with Trek in general, and all guest/supporting actors in the films have always been B-list character actors, never A-listers unfortunately.
big name villan – what about – mirror mirror Kirk – older played by Shatner!!!
Now thats how they can get over kirk being dead!
Possible Villains:
-Hugh Laurie
-Alan Rickman
-Alexander Siddig
-Charles S. Dutton
-Hugo Weaving
Villans -Anthony Hopkins as The Kronos the executioner?
question: are you going to be in the new star trek movie?
Answer: I haven’t read anything yet.
read what? news reports or the script
#12
….did you say Alan Rickman? Now that’s a good idea. Though having Snape in Star Trek might turn out to be a little strange….
I don’t know about you guys, but some of the names thrown out there just don’t do it for me…so here’s my short list:
1. Ben Kingsley – brilliant actor, big name but not so big that it would overshadow
2. Terry O’Quinn – JJ’s definitely done some great work with him on Lost, he’s versatile and has a very sinister thing about him, also, he’s been on Trek before.
3. Denzel Washington – and why the hell not….
4. Michael Caine – When was the last time we saw him as a bad guy?
5. Cate Blanchett – Okay….who said the big bad had to a boy? She’s a superb actress and hey, an enemy with some sex appeal…definitely something young kirk would take an interest in.
people like Josh are viewing this film through the prism of the past. The buzz in hollywood is very hot for this film and there is no stigma with working with JJA on it. In addition Paramount are putting a lot of resources into the film.
The template for the previous trek films is completely irrelevant from Paramount and especially from Bad Robot’s point of view
#9 Stephen
Nic Cage? Holy Surak, I hope not!!! Bale, sure. Keaton… maybe (but not really). And I doubt Stewart will be involved in any way, shape, or form.
#10 Josh T
That is true. But Trek has done pretty good for itself in casting villains even without A-list names. Folks like Montalban, Lloyd, Plummer, McDowell, Krige, Abraham, and Perlman may not be marquee names, but they’re certainly damn fine actors. ;)
#12 LK
Oooh, Hugh Laurie as the villain… I like that idea. Alas, it will never happen due to Laurie’s schedule with House (he had to back out of Superman Returns for the same reason).
#16 MiamiTrek
Interesting picks… I especially like the idea of Michael Caine popping up as the villain. For the record, the last time he did so was the 2000 remake of Get Carter, IIRC.
#17 Anthony Pascale
Good point. With Abrams involved, it is definitely likely that big-name actors will work their way into the film. I just hope they don’t pass over a talented lesser known who could play the role just as well as an A-lister for the sake of having a big name in the movie. I don’t think that would happen, though.
Well, Crowe didn’t exactly issue a flat denial. But, he commands a salary well above anything paid to any actor in any Trek movie to date.
Still, he’d make an excellent Klingon. I’ve always thought well-written Klingons can be some of the character-driven roles in Trek. Trouble is, movies have such limited time to develop that character that it’s difficult to portray a Klingon as a three-dimensional figure. Where do you get the time, in a movie, to explain to those not familiar with Trek exactly what Klingons are and why they behave that way? It’s much easier to paint them as simple two-dimensional evil aliens.
The question, here and elsewhere, is how much can scriptwriters safely afford to assume the audience will know about the Trek universe?
Oops. Make that “best character-driven roles… “.
i want Kiefer Sutherland!!!
Let’s not get a big name and put him in a bunch of make-up. The idea is to sell the movie.
“Klingon. Klingon” LOL
Chris Bale is the MAN!
If the villain is a Klingon then we get into the whole “bumpy vs. smooth” debate. Personally I’d like to finally see them side by side. I can envision a “Homo Klingoni Gracilus” captain is the mode of William Campell’s Koloth flanked by two giant “Homo Klingoni Robustus” bully boys. It would be a nice way to consolidate the whole cycle.
Did you know? The whole smooth Klingons being part Human thing from Enterprise is essentially the same way it was explained by novelist John M Ford in the 1980’s! His “Final Relection” contained many elements that were also used in Enterprise.
Now Christian Bale would make an EXCELLENT choice.
I don’t even want to see a villain. This is not a comic book. Just give me good, well-written, exciting Star Trek.
I like how pissed off Crowe looks until a sociopathic looking Bale whispers ‘klingon klingon’ to which Crowe kind of breaks up. pretty funny
remember Trek V when they wanted Sean Connery as Sybok..and ended up with…Larry Luckenbill?
Connerys name inspired the planet ‘Ska-Ka-Ree’ though…(in the making of Trek V either Bennet or Shatner says they used Connerys name sped up) Connery had signed for Indy 3 instead. …I wonder how close he was to doing Trek V?…..It was after all – just after the biggest Trek film..
The only ‘name’ actors to have appeared as villians etc in the movies:
Richardo Montoban (had to be him anyway)
Chris Llyod
Christopher Plumer
Christian Slater (cameo only)
David Warner
Malcolm McDowell
F Murry Abraham.
Hardy A list……
Could all change with this though for Pike and the villian…gotta be at least B names for those due to the money, Abrams and the chanch for a big name Trek fan to live out their fantasy and be in the original..(sort of)
How come theres been no news, speculation or comments etc regarding Hanks? He’s supposed to be like a MASSIVE trek fan and came close to playing Cochrane in FC:
(from imdb)
“According to Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), he is a huge Trekkie and the first time the two met, Star Trek was the only thing he wanted to talk about. Hanks was actually the original choice to play Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), and desperately wanted to play the role, but had to back out due to his earlier commitment to That Thing You Do! (1996).”
Surely Hanks would be the no 1 choice for Pike….(not a villian though)
I recall that Nick Meyer originally wanted Jack Palance for Chancellor Gorkon! This was right after the old guy won an Oscar, and he was asking too high a price. I’d have loved to have seen that, though! One of the screen’s all-time great tough guys, playing the leader of the Klingons!
#29
Hardly A-List yes, but a solid group of actors none the less. That is what star trek has done well with it’s villians and supporting roles. It has sought and found solid talent over fame. I remembdr Abrahams performance in AMADEUS, in which he was fabuloso. Very Very good. And I mean Chris Plummer, the SOUND OF MUSIC guy, who cares if he isn’t A-list. I thought he was pretty damn good in Star Trek VI. And If you want to down on Ricardo then I don’t won’t to see you posting on this website. Ricardo is Kahn. Even without the benefit of seeing the original episode, I knew that only Ricarod Montalbon could be Kahn.
Etc., etc.
32 – dont tell me if can post on this website or not fella..who the f**k you think you are
my ‘hardly A list’ comment wasnt meant as diss on Montoban or any of those actors. It was just stating a fact that theres never been any A list superstar actor in a trek movie b4. A list as in Cruise or Connery or Brando or Eastwood etc
yes they were all tremedous in their roles and are truly great actors…with Montoban obviously standing head and pectorals above the rest…(an ‘A list star’ in Star Trek/Sci Fi terms..)
although I have to say regarding Star Dreck Insurrection – even Pacino as Ru’afo and De Niro as Adm. Dougherty wouldve have a job on druming up much interest that episodic film…
re 29 – oopps forgot about Eddie Murphys near casting in Trek IV too……Think he was THE biggest star in HW at the time…
Wonder if it would have worked..or if itd have been another Superman III?
Edward James Olmos was Leonard Nimoy’s original choice for the role of Kruge
and they wanted Jude Law for Shinzon in Nemesis
How about Richard Dean Anderson as an evil andorian? or Michael Shanks as a mad scientist.
Crowe never signs for a film until he’s read the script and talked to the director. So.. my take on his comment ” Apparently…. I haven’t read anything yet” is that he’s waiting to see the script. If he doesn’t like it, he won’t do it. He’s quite busy right now anyway, working on Body Of Lies and early in the new year, Nottingham.