Simon Pegg Says the STAR TREK 2 Villain Is Not Khan

Just as the speculation about villain in Star Trek 2 started to die down a bit (comparatively), Mr. Simon Pegg has thrown in his two-cents on the “Is it Khan?” debate.  Speculation that Khan would be the villain in director J.J. Abrams’ sequel began pretty much as soon as the follow-up was announced.  Given that Khan is one of the most memorable antagonists in the series’ history, it wouldn’t be completely out of left field to include him in Star Trek 2.  There have been plenty of “confirmation” stories along the way, but Pegg now swears that the villain in the Star Trek sequel is not Khan.  Hit the jump for more.

When Benicio Del Toro was in negotiations for the villain role, a report surfaced that claimed to confirm that he would be playing Khan, which was then followed up by a swift denial from Abrams himself calling the story “not true.”  The rumor mill continued when Del Toro left the project and a crop of Hispanic actors were in the mix to take over a role that was originated by a Hispanic actor (Ricardo Montalbon).  The immensely talented Benedict Cumberbatch eventually landed the role, and as recently as late April another report surfaced “confirming” that Cumberbatch is playing Khan.

Pegg, a self-professed film nerd himself and a frequenter of movie blogs across the web, weighed in on the matter in an interview with The Telegraph (via Cinema Blend):

“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 interesting to note that, even though speculation has run rampant over the past few months, the last official word we heard regarding the role was Abrams’ flat-out denial.  At this point, all I’m looking for in Star Trek 2 is a great movie.  I trust that Abrams and screenwriters Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have chosen an appropriate antagonist for the story they want to tell, and whether it’s Khan or not I just want a good movie.  Hopefully we’ll get our first look at the film this summer at Comic-Con to whet our appetites in anticipation of the May 17th, 2013 release.