It has gotten increasingly difficult for Hollywood to keep a secret in this day of instant news, leaked set photos and “inside sources”, even for the likes of J.J. Abrams. One of the most persistent rumors plaguing his upcoming Star Trek sequel is that new addition to the cast, Benedict Cumberbatch, will be playing the villainous role of Khan, immortalized by Ricardo Montalbán in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Now, Simon Pegg, the new Scotty of Abrams’ U.S.S. Enterprise crew, is calling out the rumor as false.
Talking to the Telegraph, Pegg said, “It’s not Khan. That’s a myth. Everyone’s saying it is, but it’s not. I think people just want to have a scoop. It annoys me – it’s beyond the point to just ferret around for spoilers all the time to try to be the first to break them."
It’s no surprise that Pegg would deny the Khan rumors, as virtually everyone else in the “Trek” camp has (officially, anyways). Leaked set photos do pit Cumberbatch against Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) while wearing a Federation uniform and Pegg is quick to praise the newcomers performance. But otherwise, we don’t get much else in terms of clarity.
With principal shooting having wrapped and a release date set for May 17, 2013, expect details to start making themselves known over the next few months. Though knowing J.J. Abrams, you’ll have to fight for them.
