At a promotional junket for Dredd, Karl Urban may just have let slip who Benedict Cumberbatch is playing in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek sequel. When asked by SFX what it was like having the Sherlock actor on set, Urban replied:
“He’s awesome, he’s a great addition, and I think his Gary Mitchell is going to be exemplary.”
The fact that he just came out with it like that means he may well be just tossing a big red herring out there. Or, he has in fact just revealed something that the entire cast and crew have been adamant should be kept secret for ages now. For non Trek fans, Gary Mitchell appeared in the original series episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before", and was an old friend of Jim Kirk's until an encounter with a galactic barrier transformed him into a cruel, ruthless and extremely powerful villain. The most persistent rumor had been that Cumberbatch would be playing Khan, but this has been shot down by the likes of Simon Pegg. What do you guys think? Gary Mitchell sound about right to you? We will update as soon we can confirm or debunk this.
Star Trek 2 (not final title) is due for release 17 May 2013.