JJ Abrams’ 2009 STAR TREK reboot was a big blast of fun in a way most summer blockbusters fail to be. It was light and funny when it needed to be, but still pretty clever and featuring a twisty, turny alternative timelines plot that gave its audience plenty of credit. Terrific critical response and a good (if not amazing) box office result suggested the birth of a new franchise. As pieces of information slipped out, a rumour circulated that Benicio Del Toro (SWIMMING WITH SHARKS) was in talks to play the villain. This was an intriguing concept; a genuinely great (and Oscar-owning) actor, potentially taking up the mantle as the franchise’s classic villain Khan. Unfortunately, it seems that the excitement was all for nothing, as issues (monetary, apparently) have cropped up between the actor and the producers.
This is a real shame. STAR TREK was one of the most pleasantly surprising films I’ve ever seen; as someone with, at best, no opinion on Gene Roddenberry’s sci fi creation, I was amazed by how much I enjoyed the film. An actor with the chops of Del Toro could potentially have done a lot with a villainous role in a film of this tone: big and bold, but not quite campy. But at the same time, it does make sense. Del Toro has spent the majority of his career playing fairly serious, intense characters; he seems more at home running around the woods as Che Guevara or becoming a fat oaf in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS than indulging in sci fi fun. Add on the fact that he’s now got a kid with Rod Stewart’s daughter, and it makes sense that he’d be pickier with his roles.
Whatever the reason, it’s a shame that Abrams has lost such a talented actor. One minor flaw of the first STAR TREK is a slightly underwhelming bad guy. Eric Bana’s a great actor, but the character wasn’t as compelling as the antics of Kirk and co. Hopefully, though, with no need to fully introduce the main cast in the second instalment, more time can be spent on a truly fiendish villain, no matter who plays said villain.
Source: Vulture
