The major talking point throughout the entire production of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel has been the identity of Benedict Cumberbatch’s (Sherlock) mysterious villain, and despite the fact that Paramount Pictures has let slip his name – ‘John Harrison’, a likely decoy – we still know next to nothing about the bad guy who’s set to take the crew of the USS Enterprise ‘Into Darkness‘. Well, during a Japanese Star Trek Into Darkness press event, Cumberbatch discussed his role in the upcoming sequel with GyaO! (via TrekMovie), and while he wasn’t giving much away, he did give us an idea of Abrams’ inspirations for the ‘Harrison’, as well as an insight into the character’s motives.
“J.J. described the role in movie terms as a mixture of Hannibal Lector, Jack in The Shining and The Joker in Batman. There are sorts of levels to pitch in amongst quite a high bar as well to succeed in comparison to. It was a framework to understand this character before I saw the whole script… I would say he is three dimensional in a way that he has a purpose, unlike the villains can sometimes go in franchises where it is just the obstacle – just this immovable thing this entity in the way or destroying what the good guys do. This person has real purpose behind his actions – his intention. It doesn’t mean I condone them, but I can empathize with the reasons. So there is a degree of leaning in and understanding and caring about him as well as being terrified about what he is doing.”
Star Trek Into Darkness is set to arrive in cinemas on May 17th, 2013, with a cast that includes Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Alice Eve, Peter Weller, Nazneen Contractor, Noel Clark and Nolan North.
Originally published December 22, 2012. Updated November 29, 2022.
