As pre-production on the J.J. Abrams directed sequel to 2009′s Star Trek intensifies, we are beginning to see some updates from the folks at Paramount. Namely casting rumors about villains, rumors about what villains will appear and a few things about Benicio Del Toro being in, out and everything in between. Tonight brings us reason to forget about all that and celebrate something slightly more official. Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of Steven Moffat’s incredible BBC series Sherlock, Steve Spielberg’s War Horse and soon to be the voice of ‘Smaug the Dragon’ in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, has joined returning cast members for the still untitled but very much anticipated Star Trek sequel.
The update came from Deadline Ceti Alpha V, who is reporting that Cumberbatch’s role is being kept under wraps. Whether he will play a hero or villain is not yet known to the public. Many, including TrekMovie, seem convinced that he’s going to be the villain, which would be very cool if it turns out to be true. What we do know is that Cumberbatch will bring his usual gravitas to the role, using all the brilliance we’ve seen, all of which went into the likes of British GQ to name the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy star “Actor of the Year 2011.”
Star Trek 2 will hit theaters May 17, 2013. Abrams will be back in the director’s chair, with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and producer Damon Lindelof working out the details of the story as I type this. Or maybe they’re already done. Either way, I’m excited.