Did we just find out which villain Benedict Cumberbatch is playing in “Star Trek 2”?
According to a report on UK website SFX, “Trek” co-star Karl Urban had this to say about working with Cumberbatch: “He”s awesome, he”s a great addition, and I think his Gary Mitchell is going to be exemplary.”
“Trek” fans know Gary Mitchell from the original series episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before”: He was a Starfleet Academy buddy of Kirk’s who wound up going mental with god-like powers.
While most of the speculation about who Cumberbatch might be playing has focused on iconic villain Khan, at least one member of the “Trek” crew has been very vocal that that’s not the case. However, co-writer Roberto Orci recently included Gary Mitchell on a list of characters who definitely would not appear in “Trek 2.”
Given director J.J. Abrams’ infamous secrecy and fans’ understandable curiosity about what “Trek 2” has to offer, any potential “leak” has to be treated with some degree of skepticism. Is the information intended to reveal a new tidbit or intentionally mislead the fans? Abrams himself recently slipped a sequel Easter egg into a taped piece for the MTV Movie Awards.
Urban’s comment came during a promotional tour for his upcoming sci-fi action movie “Dredd.” It’s possible he slipped up and said something he shouldn’t have. Or it’s possible he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Star Trek 2” opens May 17, 2013.