Variety reports J.J. Abrams has chosen a new cast member for the Star Trek sequel, although the deal is still pending. Alice Eve (She’s Out Of My League, which is both a movie and a statement of fact) would be playing a character who is reportedly new to the Star Trek universe, because there are so few characters in the canon to choose from. Yes, that was sarcasm.
Eve reportedly beat out Australian Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four) and Londoner Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) for the role, so it would be safe to assume we might be hearing Eve’s awesome British accent in this. That’s how you know someone in a sci-fi movie is from space: no American accent.
In addition to the pending deal to cast Eve, Paramount and Abrams are also trying to sign Benicio del Toro as a villain “familiar to Trekkies” (who better not be Khan). They are also searching for an older actor to play a villain in a supporting role to del Toro, who really, really shouldn’t be Khan. There are other good characters in the Star Trek universe that haven’t been adapted for a feature film yet. No, really, there are.