Idris Elba is in early talks to play the lead villain in Star Trek 3 according to a new report. The Luther and Thor star will next be seen making a cameo appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but this would be a leading role for the actor which he so far hasn’t received in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Heimdall.
Bryan Cranston was at one point rumoured to be in the running for Star Trek 3’s villain, but this news comes from a far more reliable source. There are no specifics on who Elba might be playing, but Variety mentions that the Klingons could end up being the main foes for the crew of the Enterprise in the threequel.
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, and Anton Yelchin, Justin Lin (Fast & Furious) is directing with J.J. Abrams set to produce alongside Bryan Burke and Skydance’s David Ellison.
Abrams directed the first two movies (Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness), but he’s too busy with Star Wars: The Force Awakens to helm this third instalment. Production is expected to begin in June. Simon Pegg and Doug Jung are currently working on the latest draft of the script after Roberto Orci’s departure.
It was also revealed yesterday that Elba has replaced Jamie Foxx in Spring Breakers writer/director Harmony Korine’s next movie, The Trap. It’s a gangster drama which is also expected to star Benicio Del Toro, Al Pacino, and James Franco. In the movie, Elba is expected to play a gangster rap artist named Rico who is at the top of his career when Slim, his best friend who took the fall for him for a robbery, is released from prison after 14 years. Now on the outside, Slim is determined to exact revenge on his adversary, who not only achieved fame and fortune but also married Slim’s ex-girlfriend and has raised Slim’s son as his own.
