Said Cumberbatch, "He is fed into the crew of the Enterprise and creates a lot of shadow play between Kirk and Spock. He is an awesome single-handed weapon of mass destruction but also a master mind-player and manipulator who plays with their roles and loyalties and understanding of what's right and wrong. As far as his own purpose, beyond the terrorist means, he has a noble cause, which will hopefully resonate with the audience."
The villain in this movie is a significantly stronger role," said producer Bryan Burk when making a comparison to previous villain Nero, played by Eric Bana.
Playing off that sentiment, Cumberbatch added, "It's a compliment to me, not a disservice to Eric Bana… I think what he was saying is that second time round you've established the origin story there. All the crew understand each other, but at the same time you have to up the stakes with their peril, which means bringing in a stronger antagonist. It's one of hugest compliments [J.J. Abrams] wanting to work with me, knowing how big this villain is."
The other mysterious new character, Dr. Carol Marcus, played by Alic Eve also discussed the film and her character's relationship with Captain Kirk. "What happens in the first film is that Kirk is given his captaincy, but by the second film he maybe is wielding that power thoughtlessly. Spock and Bones are satellites of his ego and they represent a morality and a logic that he is lacking. My character is bossy and knows things and he is maybe not wanting to here the truth. His journey is a journey of humbling oneself. A journey of pathos."
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In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.
With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
Running Time: Unknown
Release Date: May 17 2013 (USA)
MPAA Rating: Unknown
Starring: Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Quinto John Cho, Peter Weller, Karl Urban and Chris Pine
Directed by: JJ Abrams
Written by: Alex Kurtzman (screenplay), Damon Lindelof (screenplay),Roberto Orci (screenplay), Gene Roddenberry (tv series "Star Trek")