What Does Sherlock Need With A Starship? Benedict Cumberbatch Cast In STAR TREK 2

Once upon a time Benecio Del Toro was going to be the bad guy in Star Trek 2. Then he fell out, and Edgar Ramirez was up for the role. Now it seems that Ramirez didn't get it and the part has gone to... Benedict Cumberbatch, star of Sherlock and recently seen in War Horse and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. That there is a role that can be played by both Del Toro and Cumberbatch is... disorienting, to say the least. 

Nothing else is known about the part, except that Cumberbatch has it. Deadline, who broke the story, had no info on who he's playing, but Variety seems certain it's the villain. I don't know what character from Trek canon could be either Del Toro OR Cumberbatch. I was screwing around on Twitter and said that he would be playing Sybok, Spock's half-brother from Star Trek V, but the more I think about it the more Cumberbatch seems a good fit for a Vulcan. While Del Toro seems custom made for an orginal series Klingon, Cumberbatch seems all wrong.

So maybe Khan isn't the villain after all, huh? Or maybe Khan is still in the movie, just not in a way we would expect. The JJ Abrams Mystery Box remains shut on this one.