The casting news for the Star Trek sequel has taken an unexpected turn. It was just a couple of weeks ago that producer/director JJ Abrams was talking about his discussions with Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro for the villain in his new movie. However, a new report says that Del Toro is out. They also have some spoilers on the role.
Del Toro Out
According to a new report by the New York Magazine’s Vulture Blog, Benicio Del Toro will not be the villain in the 2013 Star Trek sequel. Sources tell Vulture that Toro’s "deal actually went asunder last Wednesday after parties couldn’t come to terms over monetary issues." With shooting set to begin in January, this puts the team on the clock to find a new bad guy soon.
VILLAIN SPOILERS
It was just last Friday when JJ Abrams denied a report that Del Toro would be playing the role of Khan Noonien Singh, telling HitFix that report was "not true." With news that Del Toro is no longer in the running, Abrams denial could be read a different way. And in fact, Vulture is reporting from "a highly placed source" that Khan is indeed the villain in the Star Trek sequel. These reports have still not been confirmed and so should still be considered rumor.
Stay tuned for more news on the Star Trek sequel.
Maybe they don’t want to announce its Khan until they have the actor signed?
Really? How sad if it’s true. Wished for Klingons and less revisiting…
BTC!
Back to Khan again. We’re going in circles. Make it stop Bob Orci.
No Del Toro and rumors of Khan persist. A bad news/bad news scenario.
don’t blame him one bit.
look at the villian role in the last movie: shyt
HMMMMM…. OMG!!!… :-) :-)
Maybe this is whats needed, I mean, lets face it. They have been trying to make a new Khan with every villian since start trek II. Maybe now that they are doing Kaun himself, they can get it out of there system, they can stop with the villan of the week crap, and get back to exploration…i Hope.
@I am not Herbert thats very true
I posted this in the other Del Toro thread, but it’s more appropriate for this one now.
***
Lol! The Collider guy sounds irritated that JJ won’t come clean about the villain’s identity.
Well, if it is Khan, I’m glad Del Toro dropped out. That leaves an opening for Jai’s recommendation of a genuine Indian actor Hrithik Roshan, if JJ is bold enough to consider that route, which I hope he is.
If he is not, I once again suggest Mark Strong as the alternative, who at least has more charisma than Del Toro.
Benicio would have done a fine job, but if he’s moving on, then I’m happy for him. I just want a good movie, so it doesn’t matter to me who they cast as the villain just so long as they do their job well and the material is of good substance.
I’m hoping to see the Klingons. Yes, I know they’ve been done a lot, but that’s because they are popular and provide for good stories to tell. That can happen with a new villain too, so I’m not worried if we don’t get to find out exactly how their appearace changed from what we saw in TOS to Worf in this series fo films. Could be a good story, though. :-)
If it is Khan just hire Naveen Andrews and be done with it.
Latino Review have it nailed. We’re getting Khan.
I don’t want to see Khan, but I would have thought that Antonio Banderas would have been the obvious choice for that role.
You always wonder who leaks these things to begin with.
Is it the actors’ agent trying to affect the negotiation by getting fans excited about their client, so producers feel pressured?
Or is it from the producers, using the fan reaction to convince the actor that this role will be his star-maker?
EVERY leak in a business deal is the result of someone trying to gain an advantage.
I dont know what everyone’s problem is with Kahn. If you want a Trek movie for you specifically, write some Fan Fiction.
Were people burying Nolen for including The Joker in The Dark Knight? Come on…people waited for the day the Joker would return in Nolen’s Batman Universe as he was Batman’s most popular rival. Kahn could be looked at the same way.
I’m all for it. And I trust the movie will be fantastic.
I think if people really thought about it, they’d realise it’s not Kahn they dont want to see, it’s RM’s Kahn they dont want to see pushed to the back of Star Trek. People suggest remakes of The DoomsDay machine etc, but dont want Kahn. I think they DO want Kahn, but fear it wont be as good as RM or will over-shadow him too much.
I actually think Khan could be great.
This isn’t wrath of Khan, it’s space seed… they’ll obviously have to change some of the back story but it would be cool to see a retelling of that story.
It makes a lot of sense seeing that actress they hired recently has to be genetically engineered… wow.
Otherwise, give some unknown Indian actor a crack at it. Not Naveen Andrews, please.
Hope it’s Khan plus something else. Also, I suspect anybody who wants a new Enterprise (in a possible III) will get their wish, because the (JJ-2) battle damage via CGI should be drastic. That said, this is the safest route they could take.
@8 I don’t know if a 2 hour movie lends itself to exploration much… that’s what television does well though.
Essentially they spent TMP exploring but I don’t want to watch something like that again in the theaters. But a TV episode like the one Picard lives a full life in a matter of minutes is great.
Here we go again. “Javier Bardem,” “Antonio Banderas,” “Wilmer Valderrama.” To play a Sikh.
You guys forgot to mention George Lopez, Cheech Marin, and Danny Trejo.
Can we please move away from Khan. I still say its Gary Mitchell and Peter Weller is a Talosian. Come on trekies think about it. Khan belongs in the Prime world. Gary Mitchell would make a great villian. Maybe Del Toro did not want the part because it might become a re occuring role and he did not want to be type cast. Oh well his loss. Think about this you have Kirk trying to help his friend Gary who decides after his visit with the barrier to start a war with the Klingons. Pike who Kirk brings back to Talos IV realizes that only Talosians can stop Gary Mitchell. Meanwhile Pike , Vina and Tango [on Hawaii] enjoy being young again and Kirk finds out what it is like to get old. Enter William Shanter and his cameo and Kirk now understands that it is his destiny to stop the war with the Klingons and save the Alpha Quad. The only way to do it is Talosians must stop Gary Mitchell. This time will you please correctly get the tombstone for Kirk correct James T. Kirk not James R. Kirk.
It can work and we can leave the Gorn, Mudd, Trelene, Kang, Apollo, The Hippies, the Horta , Khan and Jack the Ripper all in the Prime time line.
What do you think Bob O …can I write for you guys?
Trekies what do you think?
Kal Penn as Khan. You heard it here first.
Hikaru “Stoner” Sulu gets a bigger role this time around too.
Curiouser and curiouser.
#11
The Klingons’ appearance changed in the Archer era, well before the timeline diverged as a result of Nero’s trip through time. So everything that happened in Trek canon up to that point should be the same in the alternative universe as it is in the “regular” universe.
Let’s see some Denobulans, or Old T’Pol or Old Soval. None of these have to figure majorly in the plot; just put them in as background.
Well. So much for that. Still think that Col. Green and Khan could both be in. But. When they say Khan will be in that may not just be a big role. Could be a very small role for Khan as they only show him aboard the S.S Botney Bay at the very end of the movie like I and a few others have posted many times on here.
Khan could be great in this film, but I would prefer they go a different direction. If it is Khan, will I shun the film? Certainly not. Unless maybe if they signed Lady Gaga or someone to play him… Actually, that might be worth watching for the sheer train wreck.
At the end of the Star Trek Movie when all of the action is done. the Camra pans out to another sector of Space and we see the S.S Botney Bay adrift. The Camra goes into the ship and we see Khan asleep. But something happens and Khan begins to awake and the last we see is Khan’s eyes opening.
@16 – For God’s sake it’s KHAN. K-H-A-N.
Stop comparing Khan to the Joker. The Joker has been around since Batman #1 in 1940 and has LONG been the “arch-villain” in the Batman canon. Where Batman is, the Joker is not far behind. The Joker is a simple serial villain. His story does not have a beginning or an end.
Khan was A villain on ONE episode out of 79, and ONE movie out of what, seven? His story is told. We saw how it started, we saw how it ended.
In addition, the Joker was NEVER done right in a movie or on TV. Nolan seized the opportunity to finally create the definitive version.
Khan has HAD his definitive version. There was NOTHING deficient about Montalbans portrayal. There is NO REASON to revisit it.
Like Liza Minelli wisely responds when asked to perform “Over the Rainbow”… “It’s been done”.
It’s never going to be done better or even as well as the original. These writers will just embarass themselves trying.
JJ Abrams, get your lazy butt up in here and read this sh*t! Cuz if you let us help you we will save you from making crazy decisions like having Gugu in a quandary over which WIRE TO CUT to defuse the explosive in that TV series that ain’t running no more, and like casting Del Toro as Khan!
Come ON, yo!
Only now Khan sells carnivorous Tribbles to the Klingons. Nero’s arrival caused that too.
You got a CHANCE, JJ my homey. Del Toro quitting ain’t a BAD thing!
This guy’s played Khan already!!!
http://www.desi-radio.com/news_Partner_year_2007.php
Please no Khan.
Well. To Khan or not to Khan that is the question.
I dont think any sane person has a problem with Khan. But the entire point of the reboot was to do something new and different. Besides that, Khans story has already been told perfectly before so why go back and do it again. There was a great episode and an amazing movie, lets move on and do something new. The only way Khan in a new movie could be interesting is if they did something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than what we’ve seen.
Ok. I say get Bob Orci to play Khan! Would be perfect.
I got it the Klingon try to locate the Botany Bay with Khan and his supersoldiers to awaken them to help the Klingons erridicate the Tribbles. Then Khan and his supersoldiers turn on the Klingons and the Klingons ask for the Federation help so they send in Kirk and the Enterprise.
I got it. With Bob Orci as Khan we seen him getting his people up and then asking them to help him write the next movie.
I Keeds I Keeds.
#29
Well put.
Despite there being volumes of Trek comic books over the years, it’s NOT a comic book universe! It’s first and foremost a science fiction television show from the 1960s that wanted to tell adult morality tales in fantastic, candy-colored settings.
Pure and (far from) simple.
Sucks, he’s a great actor with a great mug. Oh well, let some lesser known actor with great features and good acting chops get a chance to shine.
Reasons they shouldn’t go back to Khan
1/ The character has been done to perfection…They can’t make it any better.
2/ No actor will be as good Ricardo Montalban…Pine and Quinto were very good, but they aren’t Shatner and Nimoy.
3/ Why go into direct competition with the most widely respected ST film?
4/ With such a vast universe to explore why a re-thread?
This may work, but on the surface it seems like a boring route to go.
I agree leave Khan in the Prime world. Mitchell or Mudd would be great for this movie. See my previous post on Mitchell. Mudd would be good too if we turned him into a evil Mudd Joker like … it can work.
Please leave Khan in the Prime time line. Next thing you know we will be asking for whales and nuclear wessles.
Sorry to hear that Del Toro is out: he would have been good. But delighted, DELIGHTED, to hear that Khan is likely back. It’s a no-brainer. He’s the best villian by a country mile in England. He’s made only two appearances in the 40+ year history of Star Trek. He has mainstream appeal and can have more (essentially he’s a superman type figure and Kirk is his kryptonite).
Who can play him, though? Bardem is busy with Bond….
They had me fooled but not anymore.
Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m getting sick of hearing, leave Khan in the prime world; don’t redo Khan; etc.
These were the same people saying don’t reboot the franchise. I say, DO Khan; but do Khan WELL. This could be great. It’s risky; but risk is our business, gentlemen.
If Mr. Del Toro did in fact say what he is reported to have said about getting out while the getting is good, then in a sense some will believe that he is indeed the “villain” of the piece, after all. ;-)
Actors have to live, too. Some are accustomed to a certain lifestyle that requires a certain amount of dough.
While we’re on the subject, the question may be raised how many “A”-list stars the Trek franchise has attracted as compared to, let’s say, Star Wars (a cinematic franchise above all).
While not “A”-list, Christopher Plummer certainly has the actiing chops to qualify as a primo actor. Ricardo Montalban was well-known, but more as a TV star by the time he was cast as Khan, as I recall. Christopher Lloyd (Kruge) was also known for his TV appearances. Kirstie Alley was an ingenue. Alice Krige, the Borg Queen, was not very well known at the time she was cast as the villain in TNG:FC.
The prestige cast member in ST:TMP was clearly Dame Judith Anderson, who was very well known in her day (she was in her prime before the 1970’s).
Star Trek IV lacked a star comparable to Ms. Anderson or even Christopher Lloyd. Star Trek V, same thing. Star Trek VI — see Christopher Plummer.
Generations — Malcolm MacDowell was clearly a prestige choice, having had a portfolio of respect work at the time the movie was made. First Contact — see Alice Krige. Insurrection — two interesting choices, both of whom were well-known and respected: F. Murray Abraham, best know as Salieri in Amadeus, and Anthony Zerbe, a substantial actor.
Tom Hardy from Nemesis has become rather sought after, but at that time was a relative unknown, and Ron Perlman would be considered a television star.
All this is exclusive of considering the regular cast members’ reputations for the sake of this discussion.
Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, and Simon Pegg were well-known movie actors and of the three, Bana would be considered an “A”-lister, I would think.
Star Trek (2013) would feature Peter Weller as the prestige guest star at this point and it would not be far off the mark to consider him, at least at some point, to have been an “A”-lister, despite his recently lack of publicity. He was, after all, the star of several Robocop movies and in that role would be equivalent in stardom to Schwarzenegger in the the latter’s Terminator movies.
The Star Wars movies have featured, among others, Alec Guiness, Liam Neeson, and Christopher Lee, each of whom were very well-known prior to their involvement in their respective SW roles.
Will the trend toward greater ST involvement with “A”-listers, past or present, continue?
I do realize that some consider “A”-listers to comprise a much smaller group, starting with Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, and similar stars, each of which could carry a movie through sheer name recognition (in theory) — and hence the origin of the show biz term, “star vehicle.”
Abrams knows nobody wants Khan as the villain, but his ego is proceeding with what HE wants, just to prove he can do it! Sad.
Hmmmm.. at first I was unsure about JJ + new cast. Even the new enterprise caused me moments of concern. The writers strike prevented them from making changes through the process…. It was a looming disaster to those of us on the outside if some gentlemen posting here were to be believed.
And yet it was a damn fine outing (well done gentlemen). Arguably holes in the plot line, however they do become interesting ‘major’ plot points in the Star Trek Online game…. (The Hobus mission will open your eyes )
I don’t care who they have as a villain. As long as he is compelling and is a contemporary threat greater than Kirk + team can handle (pls, no Borg enhanced spacecraft), he should be fine ;) Throw the audience a curve ball and make Khan a good guy.
@ Odkin #29
Thank you for the spelling correction for KHAN. I also strongly dislike when it is spelled wrong!!
Also, your view of the Joker being a constant part of the Batman lore could be used to justify Klingons in the ST sequel:
“Stop comparing Khan to the Joker. The Joker has been around since Batman #1 in 1940 and has LONG been the “arch-villain” in the Batman canon. Where Batman is, the Joker is not far behind. The Joker is a simple serial villain. His story does not have a beginning or an end.”
Substitute “Starfleet” for Batman and “Klingons” for the Joker, and we have similarities.
IMO, of course.