Paramount Pictures is still building the cast that will lead its upcoming film "Star Trek 3," but rumors have it that they have already found their villain in "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston, International Business Times reported.
Allegedly, the script, which was co-written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, called for a Cranston-like character and instead of looking elsewhere, they invited the man himself to join the film. He is said to be engaged in discussions with the studios about possibly taking on the role and playing the antagonist who will face off against the Enterprise crew.
It is unknown as of now if Cranston will be playing an all new character or will be showcasing someone from the franchise, and there have been no news yet on whether or not Cranston as accepted.
Aside from Cranston, reports have it that the film will also introduce at least three new major female characters, according to sources who talked to Film Divider.
One of them is said to be the captain of another Federation ship. She will possibly shape up to be a match for Captain James Kirk, though it's unsure if it will be a love match or a professional, captain vs. captain match.
The first female captain shown in the franchise was actress Madge Sinclair in an unnamed role in "Star Trek IV."
The other major female character will be the President of the United Federation of Planets, and it is interesting to note that the UFP has never had a female President shown on screen before.
The last new character is said to be the ex-wife of Leonard "Bones" McCoy, and can either be Jocelyn Treadaway, Pamela Branch or possibly even a new character made for the movie franchise. Bones has already mentioned her several times in the previous films, and this time he might get his fair share of the spotlight if his ex-wife will indeed make an appearance.
No names have been attached to the roles as of yet.
As for the storyline, rumors have it that the film will be set within the five-year voyage of The Enterprise, as the previous film had Captain Kirk and the crew blasting off into space. This will shift the focus of the film from Earth-based plots into possible new aliens, cultures, planets and probably deep space exploration, according to Cinema Blend.
"Star Trek 3" will be directed by Justin Lin and will star Pegg alongside Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Anton Yelchin and more. It is set to begin filming in Vancouver oin April.
The movie will open in theaters on July 8, 2016.