One of the many secrets that are being kept by J J Abrams over Star Trek Into Darkness is exactly what kind of villain will actor Benedict Cumberbatch be playing in the film. But while recently promoting the upcoming film to the Japanese press – Star Trek has traditionally not been as popular outside of English-speaking countries as it is in the US and other English-speaking nations – Abrams and Cumberbatch talked a bit more about the character and his role in the film.
First Cumberbatch explained a bit of the pitch Abrams used to get him interested in the film –
When J.J. described the role to me… he described someone who was, in movie terms, a mixture of Hannibal Lecter, Jack in The Shining, and the Joker in Batman…He’s someone who has enormous physical strength. He’s someone who is incredibly dangerous, both as a physical entity and through the use of various technologies and weapons and who performs acts of what I would describe as terrorism. He’s also a psychological master. He manipulates the minds of those around him to do his bidding in a very, very subtle way.
Abrams added –
His name is John Harrison and he is sort of an… average guy who works in an organization called Starfleet and he turns against the group because he has got this backstory and this kind of amazing secret agenda. After two very violent attacks, one in London and one in the US, our characters have to go after this guy and apprehend him. And it is a far more complicated and difficult thing then they ever anticipated. Into Darkness is very much about how intense it gets and really what they are up against.
Well, it gives us a bit more of their approach to the villainous John Harrison without really giving away any more of the plot than we’ve already seen in the previously released trailers.
STar Trek Into Darkness opens next summer.
Via TrekMovie.
