Benedict Cumberbatch Insists He Isn’t Playing Khan In Star Trek Into Darkness
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We have all been waiting to hear who Benedict Cumberbatch is playing in Star Trek Into Darkness for months now, pretty much since they announced he was cast as the film’s villain. We have combed through promotional materials, trailers, and photos, with the two frontrunners being Khan or Gary Mitchell. Why don’t we just ask Cumberbatch himself?
Unsurprisingly, Cumberbatch is extremely closed-lipped about the role, but in a new interview the British actor disclosed a few hints, and specifically dismissed the possibility that he’s playing Khan.
I play a character called John and not that other name. [The other name being Khan – Ed.] It’s interesting. Speculation is speculation and that’s all fun.
I play John Harrison who’s a terrorist and an extraordinary character in his own right. He’s somebody who is not your two-dimensional cookie cutter villain. He’s got an extraordinary purpose, and I hope that at one point or other in the film you might even sympathize with the reasons he’s doing what he’s doing — not necessarily the means and the destruction he causes. But it was a great ride, not just because he’s the bad guy and the antagonist but also because he has a purpose and it’s hard not to see his point of view at certain points.
From what Cumberbatch has said, it really sounds like his top secret role is that of Gary Mitchell. While this could all be red herrings and intentional misdirection, everything we know so far seems to point to the powerful psychic and former Starfleet officer. Honestly, at this point it’s surprising that we even know the title of the movie.
It seems stupid that J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot team haven’t revealed Cumberbatch’s role yet. Many of us assume the whole “John Harrison” thing is straight-up B.S., so what do they have to gain by continuing to play coy? It would be like if Christopher Nolan hadn’t revealed who Tom Hardy was playing in The Dark Knight Rises until the movie actually came out.
Star Trek Into Darkness will beam into theaters everywhere on May 17, 2013 in IMAX 3D. Then we’ll finally know the truth about Cumberbatch’s role. Presumably.
