All hail…Gary?
For a good while now, it's been a steady rumor yet again that newcomer to the franchise and antagonist in the sequel Benedict Cumberbatch would be playing the role of Khan in next summer's Star Trek 2. While Simon Pegg himself has shot it down, talk has still be strong that the character may indeed by the classic role that fans love. With still little details on the film, Karl Urban has been out promoting his upcoming feature Dredd. But, when the conversation shifted to Star Trek 2 it seems the actor may have just let loose who Cumberbatch will be playing.
Speaking with SFX, Urban was asked about Cumberbatch's involvement and said "He's awesome, he's a great addition, and I think his Gary Mitchell is going to be exemplary." Now as of this moment there is no confirmation on whether or not this is true. If anything, Urban could be sending fans off into another direction away from Khan just for another round of crazy internet rumors. But if it is true, this confirms rumors early on that put Cumberbatch in the role after many believed Khan was incredibly doubtful.
Gary Mitchell in the original series is an old friend of Jim Kirk's (Chris Pine) that he met at Starfleet Academy. By request of Kirk, Mitchell comes aboard the Enterprise as a helmsman under the rank of lieutenant commander. The Enterprise comes into contact with a flight recorder of the missing SS Valiant, which sends the ship to the Valiant's last known position. While there, they penetrate the galactic barrier releasing odd energies that affect Mitchell as he makes direct contact.
As he recovers, Mitchell begins to discover new powers of telekinesis, telepathy, and the abilities to control energy & manipulate matter. By the time the Enterprise reaches another planet for repairs, Kirk is convinced that Mitchell has become dangerous due to his abilities and plans to possibly maroon him there. Mitchell kills two crew members and escapes the ship, with Kirk in pursuit.
What's interesting to note is that Dr. Elizabeth Dehner also acquires some of the abilities that Mitchell develops as well, though there's no word whether or not she'll show up in the sequel either. However, actress Alice Eve cast in the project does resemble Dehner quite a lot and if Urban's slip is indeed accurate there's a strong possibility that we may have uncovered Eve's character as well.
Directed by J.J. Abrams, and starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Karl Urban, Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Peter Weller, Bruce Greenwood, and more, Star Trek 2 is set for release on May 17th, 2013.
What do you think? Is the reveal that Cumberbatch is Gary Mitchell a true statement? Does this mean Alice Eve will be playing Dehner?
