by Justin Cook
The Wire and Pacific Rim actor Idris Elba is in early talks to play the villain in 2016’s Star Trek 3.
Very few details are known at the time about which role Elba would play in the film. It is also unknown if Elba will be the only villain in Star Trek 3 or if Bryan Cranston, who was also previously rumored to play a villain in the film, will be joining him.
Some reports suggest that the Klingons will be the main villains in the next Star Trek installment, but that news is currently unconfirmed.
Cast members Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and Anton Yelchin will all be returning to the franchise for Star Trek 3. They all previously starred in 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness.
The Fast and the Furious franchise director Justin Lin will helm the project for Paramount Pictures, while Simon Pegg and Doug Jung will co-write the script. Roberto Orci, writer and producer of such films as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Cowboys & Aliens, Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, was originally set to make his directorial debut with the film, since director J.J. Abrams had left the franchise to work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Orci is no longer directing, but he is still attached to produce the project.
Elba recently starred in the Sean Penn action film The Gunman, and can seen in multiple high-profile films in the future. This year alone he is set to appear in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation and Harmony Korine’s The Trap.
Next year, expect to see Elba in Bastille Day, Pixar’s Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory and Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book.
Star Trek 3 is set to be released on July 8, 2016.
Source: Variety
