‘Star Trek 2’ Villain Latest: Del Toro Out, Ramirez In?

As Paramount and J.J. Abrams gear up for filming to start in January, casting is in high gear and updates seem to be coming daily. In the last week, the film has landed starlet Alice Eve and Robocop himself, Peter Weller, but talks with Benicio Del Toro for the villain role have broken down. Now they're after Édgar Ramírez or possibly Jordi Mollà.

If the villain in Star Trek 2 isn't Khan, then I challenge you to explain specifically why Abrams appears to be after native Spanish speakers for the role made famous by Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It appears that Español and — as Variety reports — the willingness to commit to a six-month schedule from January through June are the two biggest requirements for the role. The latter reason, it would seem, caused Del Toro to back out.

Ramírez, who starred in the highly acclaimed TV mini-series Carlos last year, seems like an excellent choice. In addition to playing the Venezuelan revolutionary/terrorist, Ramírez has tried to cross over to Hollywood lately with The Bourne Ultimatum and as Ares in next year's Wrath of the Titans. Mollà is most known for his role in Blow and was recently seen in Colombiana.

Expect to find out who your next "Star Trek" villain is shortly.