New images and a more detailed explanation of Star Trek Into Darkness’ villain

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS is really beginning to ramp up the media lately. Now that we are into 2013, it seems that more and more new information is being learned about the JJ Abrams sequel. The official Facebook page for the film provided these eleven new images. Some we saw previously in Empire magazine and others are new angles on existing shots, but that shot of an angry Benedict Cumberbatch and the Simon Pegg one are brand new to me.

JJ Abrams himself revealed some new details about the movie during an interview with IO9. He gave this back story on Cumberbatch’s villain: “So this movie doesn’t require you have seen the first movie. The characters are a group of people who have recently come together and find themselves up against this incredibly terrifying force. His name is John Harrison and he is sort of an average –- that is what makes him so scary –- he is just an average guy who works in an organization called Starfleet, and he turns against the group because he has got this back-story and this kind of amazing secret agenda. After two very violent attacks, one in London and one in the U.S., our characters have to go after this guy and apprehend him. And it is a far more complicated and difficult thing then they ever anticipated. “Into Darkness” is very much about how intense it gets and really what they are up against.

That sounds downright awesome to me. While the villain still could be Khan or Gary Mitchell, I am really beginning to believe he is a wholly original creation, which is fine by me.

Cumberbatch also gave a list of influences on his portrayal of John Harrison: “When J.J. described the role to me… he described someone who was, in movie terms, a mixture of Hannibal Lecter, Jack in THE SHINING, and the Joker in BATMAN… He’s someone who has enormous physical strength. He’s someone who is incredibly dangerous, both as a physical entity and through the use of various technologies and weapons and who performs acts of what I would describe as terrorism. He’s also a psychological master. He manipulates the minds of those around him to do his bidding in a very, very subtle way.”

Are you excited? I am excited.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Alice Eve, and Peter Weller. It opens in theaters on May 17, 2013.