The actor who will play Dragon Smaug in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' has been cast as the lead antagonist, a role that was previously offered to Benicio Del Toro.
- Jan 5, 2012
AceShowbiz - J.J. Abram's much awaited film "Star Trek 2" has finally found an actor to tackle the villain part. Variety reported that English actor Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on to play the main antagonist in the yet-to-be-titled sequel.
Before Cumberbatch landed the villainous role, Benicio Del Toro was eyed for the part but he turned it down. Back in December 2011, other Latin actors Edgar Ramirez and Jordi Molla also auditioned for the coveted role.
Cumberbatch is set to join his fellow British actors who have already been cast in the forthcoming "Star Trek" sequel. They include "Sex and the City 2" actress Alice Eve, "RoboCop" actor Petter Weller, and "Doctor Who" star Noel Clarke, who has just been tapped to play "a family man with a wife and young daughter."
The untitled Star Trek sequel is due to open wide in the U.S. theaters on May 17, 2013. The film is planned to be given a 3D treatment. "We're shooting on film, 2D, and then we'll do a good high-end conversion like the 'Harry Potter' movie and all that," Abrams said in December.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana are set to return as James T. Kirk, Spcok and Nyota Uhura respectively. They are joined by Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban and John Cho.
As for Cumberbatch, the 35-year-old actor has been seen tackling supporting roles in several high-profile movies in 2011, such as Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" and Tomas Alfredson's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". He will also lend his voice to Necromancer and do a mo-cap performance for Smaug in both "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and "The Hobbit: There and Back Again".
