The good folks over at TrekMovie.com have confirmed some major spoilers for the upcoming Star Trek movie sequel. They have confirmed the identity of the character being played by Sherlock star Bendict Cumberbatch.
Hit the jump, if you dare, for the details:
TrekMovie.com has long been the source for all news about upcoming Star Trek projects since the 2009 film was announced years prior. They have proven themselves to be trustworthy and fair in all aspects of reporting on the Trek franchise since their inception, even scoring followers among the Trek production staff. And so I feel confident to report the news as they have presented it as being as confirmed as can be.
The website has now confirmed that Cumberbatch will be playing none other than Khan Noonian Singh, the villain made famous by Ricardo Montalban both in the original Star Trek episode “Space Seed” and the feature film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
While it has long been rumored that Cumberbatch would be playing the genetically superior tyrant, this is the first “official” confirmation that the public has gotten on that part. Cumberbatch has appeared in set photos, but not in a cleavage-revealing leather outfit (à la Montalban in Star Trek II), so the production team had been keeping the identity rather tightly under wraps.
TrekMovie has also confirmed that Leonard Nimoy will once again be returning as the original Mr. Spock in the sequel. This goes against earlier reports from after the first film’s release in which Nimoy was stated as saying he was ready to let the new crew stand on his own, coupled with more recent reports that Nimoy had retired from acting altogether.
What all of this may mean for the Star Trek sequel is, in my opinion, trouble. The problem with doing a story as beloved as Khan’s is that you run a serious risk of comparison. Star Trek II is arguably the best Star Trek film ever made. It runs very close to being the all-around best Star Trek story ever produced on film or television. Star Trek 2 (the new sequel) can’t be a rehash of the same story because TWoK‘s success came from the fact that the two characters had met before and a very unique set of circumstances brought them to where they were.
The production team says that this will not be a rehash of the original episode “Space Seed”, but will have the singular parallel in that it, too, is an origin story of sorts for the animosity between these two characters.
Also, why is it that both “Star Trek 2‘s” have to be about Khan?
That was a joke, but the fact of the matter is the production team has tough shoes to fill and it looks like they’re going to tackle this head-on. I wish them luck.
The only other thing I have to say is, having Nimoy in the story gives a tremendous potential to heighten the terror of the story. Remember that Khan was mostly responsible for the original Spock’s death. How will the original Spock react to seeing this man alive and young again? Could be potential gold, but it could also bog the story down in continuity that the team would rather forget. I guess there’s always the novelization.