By We don’t currently know for sure if Khan Noonien Singh, the classic villain from the original Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, will even be in J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek 2. It doesn’t help that Paramount’s specific denial of Benicio Del Toro being cast left open the possibility that Khan would still be the film’s primary antagonist. However, new casting information provides insight on his potential presence.
Sources say that Edgar Ramirez is the current frontrunner for the role of Star Trek 2‘s villain, whoever he may be. The Venezuelan actor has played the lead in the French miniseries Carlos, Ciro Redondo in Che, and the CIA assassin Paz in The Bourne Ultimatum, as well as Ares in the upcoming Wrath of the Titans. Since Abrams is scrambling to replace Del Toro, Ramirez is supposedly testing for the role via Skype this week (which seems like a horrible way to judge an actor’s talents). Spanish actor Jordi Molla is also being considered.
What makes these choices interesting is that all three actors that were up for this part are of Hispanic descent, which seems like a conscious decision considering that Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban played the original Khan. Both Ramirez and Molla have the background to fill his shoes. It’s not a confirmation, but it does make the rumor seem more likely, even if most of us would rather see new stories told instead of attempts at nostalgia.
[Via Variety]