News is breaking that director J.J. Abrams has his eyes set on Benicio Del Toro to play the villain in the upcoming Star Trek sequel.
The report comes from Variety, and besides the fact that the role would be for a villain, no other details are currently known. In fact, Variety reports that not even Del Toro knew the details of the role when he met with Abrams:
Insiders say Del Toro has met with Abrams but, in an effort to keep the role a secret, still doesn’t know exactly what it is.
However, Variety says Del Toro will soon officially be offered the part.
So who do you think Del Toro will be playing? Rumors offer various possibilities, but given the secrecy that always involves Abrams’ projects, it’s likely only he, the studio and screenwriters Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof know the details.
The Star Trek sequel is reportedly being prepped to begin filming in early 2012, perhaps as early as January.