Last month, it was revealed thatIdris Elbais in talks to play the main villain inStar Trek 3, though no character details have been revealed at this time.Simon Pegghas somewhat confirmed thatIdris Elbais in the movie, and that he and co-writerDoug Jungare crafting an original character never before seen in the franchise. This means we won’t get months ofElbadenying that he is playing an iconic character, asBenedict Cumberbatchwas forced to do when talking about Kahn leading up to the release ofStar Trek Into Darkness. About his new character,Simon Peggsays they are trying to create a certain kind of bad ass. He explains:
“It will be [an original character], yes. This is the five-year mission now, we’re out there. We don’t always have to keep bumping into the same people…It’s a massive universe. So we’re gonna try and reflect that in the movie. Idris Elba is an extraordinary actor, and we’re trying to write him a kickass role.”
While the character will be new, the tone of this next sequel will feel quite familiar. As he stated before,Simon Peggplans to pay homage to the original series with this next adventure, set shortly after the crew of the Enterprise sets out on their 5 year mission. While he wouldn’t reveal any further story details, he had this to say when asked if the original 1966Star Trekwill serve as a basis of inspiration:
“Yes. That’s the plan. We had a really intensive session a couple weeks ago. Every evening, when we’d done enough work, when we felt like we’d completed enough pages, we’d go and sit and watch a couple episodes of the original series to feel like we were reacquainting ourselves with it a little bit. It’s an incredible show when you watch it. How little they had. We think of Star Trek as this huge thing. It started out as these little thoughtful plays. Dealing with human and intelectual ideas. It’s become something else now. We’re in a different world now. Star Trek has to be something else now. But we can certainly invest in it, the spirit of the show. And get back to the essence of what it is, and so what we’re hoping to do is make a Star Trek for today that doesn’t forget where it came from.”
What do you think ofSimon Pegg’s plans forStar Trek 3so far? Are you gladIdris Elbais taking on an original role, or were you hoping to see another iconic villain? You can check out the full interview in the video here:
