Benicio del Toro drops out of Star Trek 2
We reported a month ago that Benicio Del Toro was the director's top choice to play the villain, but it seems the actor and Paramount couldn't agree on the financial terms of the deal.
There have been persistent rumors that the villain in Star Trek 2 will be Khan, who was portrayed by Ricardo Montalban in 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This new report reveals Khan is in fact the Star Trek 2 villain, despite director J.J. Abrams recently denying the rumors.
J.J. Abrams is directing Star Trek 2 from a screenplay by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. Bryan Burk and David Ellison are producing.
Production is scheduled to begin on January 15, 2012.
Star Trek 2 comes to theaters May 17th, 2013 and stars Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho. The film is directed by J.J. Abrams.
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Let's Go Bub!
@addiction-non-fatal - I know that, i just want him to be a hero ;).
6 months agoby @Number1WolverineFlag
jae1169
antonio banderas could pull off kahn quite well...
6 months agoby @jae1169Flag
Justice Kowaleski
If Kahn is the villain thats cool i wont mind but if its the same story as wrath of kahn i will be very angry with mr.Orcci and mr.Kurtzman
6 months agoby @justice-kowaleskiFlag
TheFury
@slysnide lol, actually he plays himself in every film. Even Pursuit of Happiness, which I have no problem with. By the way, I was exaggerating about the billion. And yeah he's not worth 50 mil. And neither was Chris Tucker worth 25 mil for Rush Hour 3, which he was paid in full for. I wouldn't be surprised in the end if Smith gets his 50 mil. Which is one of the biggest problems of Hollywood, over-over paid stars.
6 months agoby @TheFuryFlag
ejk1
@addiction-non-fatal no, they would be crazy to revisit "The Seed." It was perfect, and trying to recapture that magic is unnecessary. As far as Wrath Of Khan being the best, I cool with tat, but I know that many people think First Contact is tops. But Abrams should look to top both, and do it with an original story. Also, I am not saying that Khan should never be used, just not in the second film. It just adheres too much to the original set of films.
6 months agoby @ejk1Flag
ADDICTION NON-FATAL
@ejk1 you're absolutely right with the timeline being altered, but they would be crazy not to revisit the original Star Trek episode "The Seed." And who knows, maybe Khan is in cahoots with the Borgs, Cardassians, or something new, like a Megalomaniac from the Federation who's completey gone rogue. Seriously, I would love to see a younger version of Khan on the big screen. I mean what a way to pay tribute to the best Star Trek Movie of them all....Wrath Of Khan.
6 months agoby @addiction-non-fatalFlag
ADDICTION NON-FATAL
I mean who else would Benicio be playing? Is it a coincident that both Benicio and Ricardo are of Latin Decent? I definitely believe it was for the role of Khan. And could Alice Eve be the younger version of Dr. Carol Marcus? Just pure speculation is all.
6 months agoby @addiction-non-fatalFlag
aoshi
Star Trek is a franchise that does not need a Villain of the Week. Remember the original series? They didn't need one for every single episode. Even Star Trek IV shed the Villain of the Week requirement. They should write something original that has more to do with exploration and a problem that requires more brains than brawn to be solved.
6 months agoby @aoshiFlag
aoshi
@moviegeek @jimthar the first one was already the Khan story rehashed, it wasn't fresh storywise, just in terms of the look and dynamism.
I think if Khan is in this story, it won't be the Wrath of Khan redone but their first encounter redone (remember Kirk is still fresh out of the Academy).
6 months agoby @aoshiFlag
Aaron Tily
Really? You're kidding me right? First it's year problems, then date problems and now actor problems. I will more than likely be dead before the movie gets released....
6 months agoby @fb92Flag
slysnide
@k-man: Glad we're on the same page there. Rarely do I see others agreeing on these things. Del Toro hasn't done much in a while, so turning down the main villain in what'll be a sure fire hit definitely is in toe with the creed of greed. I like that. It's got a nice ring to it.
@TheFury: You mean $50 million. Besides, Smith practically played himself in the first film. A guy who can act serious with a sense of humor, like we've seen him in all his movies. His talent aint worth $50mil.
6 months agoby @slysnideFlag
Bawnian©-Dexeus
I wonder if we'll get a Galactic War
6 months agoby @bawnian-dexeusFlag
ejk1
@dan1 They are a great villain. But Abrams shouldn't feel beholden to the past. He has the ability to go another route, and by doing so will add to the already rich tapestry of Star Trek.
6 months agoby @ejk1Flag
Dan
@ejk1 I dunno, I could always do with some more Borg. I just love collective villains like that. Or I could just go watch the excellent First Contact again.
6 months agoby @dan1Flag
renodc
Come on, Benicio, let go of the delusions of grandeur. It's not like you've been blowing up the box office lately.
6 months agoby @renodcFlag
ejk1
@addiction-non-fatal No it's not. They can find a way to create a compelling villain or group of villains. Hell, they've been doing it for years on TV. On TNG, they introduced the Borg and Q, not tro mention giving life to the Romulans, Cardassians, and Ferengi. Also, on DS9 it was the Changeling led Dominion, and ultimately, the Cardassian leader Gul Ducat, one of the most complex villains I've seen on TV. Point is, Star Trek has given us great original villains, and there's no reason that Abrams and co. should just rip off the past here. Abrams's first film altered the time line so he could purposely carve out his own stories, not remake the past. Therefore, I expect no wrath of Khan, no searching for Spock, and no saving of Humpback Whales (and I would be thoroughly disappointed if he does any of this). This is a new vein of Star Trek, with new stories to be drawn out.
6 months agoby @ejk1Flag
Joseph
Disappointing
6 months agoby @a7sus4Flag
ADDICTION NON-FATAL
Let's not bring back Khan? Oh yeah? So who are you rooting for to be the villains? The Klingon's for the gazillionth time! NO! It's time to bring back the iconic character...KHAAAAAAN!
6 months agoby @addiction-non-fatalFlag
ADDICTION NON-FATAL
@Number1Wolverine Peter Weller would make a great villain, have you seen him in the movie First Born? He was Superb!
6 months agoby @addiction-non-fatalFlag
K-Man
@TheFury - What are you talking about?
The Independence Day sequels are still in hiatus.....they are as far from a priority as you can get.
Plus, you talk about Independence day as if its the big thing right now. Independence day was cool back in 1996, when it came out.
No, Will Smith wont make a "billion dollars"......EVER. (At least not as an actor)
6 months agoby @k-manFlag
Zeeman1
I don't buy it. Why the hell would they make the new villain of star trek 2 Khan? That's way to lame and unoriginal even for a "rebooted" franchise.
6 months agoby @zeeman1Flag
ejk1
@TheFury they don't need to make an Independence Day sequel that bad. He won't see a billion dollar paycheck.
6 months agoby @ejk1Flag
Let's Go Bub!
Star Trek 2 Loses Benicio Del Toro, (Darth Vader Voice) Nooooooo! And i hope Weller is not the villain, he needs to be a hero like the good old Robocop days ;).
6 months agoby @Number1WolverineFlag
TheFury
@k-man @slysnide Trust me fellas. They need Will for the Independence Day movie that bad. He will see a Billion dollar paycheck.
6 months agoby @TheFuryFlag
ADDICTION NON-FATAL
@jimthar True, but at some point, I'm pretty sure they're going to address the crew of The Enterprise's first confrontation with Khan.
6 months agoby @addiction-non-fatalFlag
ADDICTION NON-FATAL
Oh well, there's always me....
6 months agoby @addiction-non-fatalFlag
K-Man
@slysnide - Ha! That's what went through my head as well when I read that.
6 months agoby @k-manFlag
ChiRep_1
I'm pretty sure we never had him "locked in" to begin with. Sure they expressed interest but negotiations obviously didn't go very far. It is a shame though I would've liked to see him in this.
6 months agoby @ChiRep-1Flag
moviegeek
@jimthar I agree. I'm not as strongly opposed to old characters as you are, but I think for the amount of time it's taken for this sequel, I want a fresh, original story like the first.
6 months agoby @moviegeekFlag
Jimthar
i'm really hoping that khan is NOT in this movie. i was looking forward to new stories with new characters and villains, not rehashed/remade versions of movies we've already seen. i loved the first movie because it was fresh and different and created a new perspective on the ST universe, but if this is indeed a rehash, i'll be very disappointed in abrams. i'll also be disappointed in orci and kurtzman who have shown that they are more than capable of writing a great ORIGINAL movie. i'm hoping that none of the villains from the original series ever make appearances in the new series. it would really give them a chance to create memorable villains and memorable performances by the actors that play them. khan be damned.
6 months agoby @jimtharFlag