'Star Trek' Sequel Pushed Back, Oscar-Winning Benicio Del Toro to Play Villain
Fans of "Star Trek" may be a little bit disappointed to find out the sequel for the re-launched franchise is pushed back to 2013, but they will be excited to learn who the main villain will be played by.
The director and producer of the film, J.J. Abrams, said that Benicio Del Toro might be in line to play the top bad guy, according to Cinema Blend. However, it is not known yet who his character is or even what the name of the sequel is going to be.
"It's not even negotiations -- just in discussion," said the director. "But I would love to work with him. I've wanted to work with him for years, and this felt like a good opportunity."
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The film was initially scheduled to open up in the summer of 2012, but Paramount Pictures announced on Wednesday that the new date would be May 17, 2013, near the Memorial Day weekend, and 3-D technology will be used for filming. Fans can expect to see their favorite characters, such as Capt. Kirk, Spock and others to appear again, played by the same actors who were a part of the 2009 hit.
Del Toro should add a very interesting element to the movie. The actor won an Academy Award for the 2000 movie “Traffic,” and he will be another big-name villain for the newly re-launched franchise. Eric Bana played the previous bad guy, Nero.
The sequel is expected to begin production in January 2012, and because the studio made the demand for director Abrams to shoot the movie in 3D, the summer-release date became impossible to achieve. This means “Trekkies” will have to wait four years for the second film to come out, with no news on a possible third so far.
The continuation of the franchise may heavily depend on its box-office performance, but if it follows the success of the first one, fans should have little to worry over.
