Benedict Cumberbatch - Benedict Cumberbatch bulked up for Star Trek 03 April 2013 (CONTACT MUSIC)

The actor has revealed he gorged on fattening foods and endured an intense physical boot camp in order to bulk up for his role as mysterious villain John Harrison in J.J. Abrams' sci-fi sequel.

He told the new edition of SFX magazine: ''It was the first time I'd really intensely shape-shifted ... To go up from a 38 chest to a 42, eating 4,000 calories a day and training two hours a day, as well as the stunt rehearsals and fight choreography, was the most physical demand that's ever been made of me for the screen.''

READ MORE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/benedict-cumberbatch-bulked-up-for-star-trek_3585534

Benedict Cumberbatch concerns Kirk and Spock in new 'Star Trek Into Darkness' images Just what is the new villain planning for the Enterprise crew? BY DAVE LEWIS WEDNESDAY, MAR 20, 2013 1:15 PM (HIT FIX)

We still don't know just who exactly Benedict Cumberbatch is playing in J.J. Abrams' upcoming "Star Trek Into Darkness," but according to these two new images, Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) are worried about his villainous persona. The Enterprise officers also look as if they've taken a fashion cue from Cumberbatch's character, as Kirk and Spock seem to be taking the film's title seriously by donning black Starfleet uniforms.

Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/news/benedict-cumberbatch-concerns-kirk-and-spock-in-new-star-trek-into-darkness-images#qUqD0hWkmXiLjZPP.99 

J.J. Abrams Compares 'John Harrison' To Nero, Benedict Cumberbatch Says He's A Warrior (COMIC BOOK MOVIE)

Star Trek Into Darkness villain John Harrison will have his true identity revealed when the film premieres in May and director J.J. Abrams and actor Bendedict Cumberbatch assure that he's an Enterprise foe well worth the wait. 

Mark Julian - 3/7/2013

"I did a lot of close combat training. He's a kick-ass warrior, as masterful with his hands and body as he is with weapons...You will have a great discovery during this film, which I think is great...[My costumes] look great. Some of them were (no pun intended) cumbersome and heavy, but some were very snug; you can almost see what religion I am..." On May 17th, all will be revealed and fans will once and for all find out who Cumberbatch is really playing. Until such time we'll have to make do with the numerous fan theories and suggestions floating across the interweb.

READ MORE: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=75343

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS SYNOPSIS REVEALS BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH AS GARTH OF IZAR?! CBN › News › Movie News Share on Tumblr 0 inShare Posted by: Matt McGloin, Editor/Publisher (COSMIC BOOK NEWS)

J.J. Abrams is having us play guessing games when it comes to Benedict Cumberbatch's character of the villain in Star Trek Into Darkness.

First it was said that Khan was the villain of the movie and then it was "leaked" that Cumberbatch will be playing the all-powerful Gary Mitchell.

Now with the new synopsis (below) revealed by Paramount, it could be any of the above two -- or possibly a third?

How about the mad Star Fleet Captain, Garth of Izar?

In the third season episode of the original Star Trek television series, "Whom Gods Destroy," the Enterprise was given a mission to take medicines to a planet where the Federation housed their criminally insane. One of the inmates happens to be a hero of Kirk's -- and one that has the power of shapeshifting!

Interestingly enough, Chris Pine recently mentioned a transformation that Benedict Cumberbatch undergoes, and didn't Zachary Quinto say something about not wanting to play these types of characters again?

Currently, Quinto is playing a serial killer in American Horror Story: Asylum. "Asylum" being the key word. It could be that Cumberbatch's characters shapeshifts into Spock (in the original it was Kirk), which would fit the bill about what Quinto said in regards to Spock  - that he stated was taken out of context - about not wanting to play these types of characters again, as he played one in Heroes as well.

READ MORE: http://movies.cosmicbooknews.com/content/star-trek-darkness-synopsis-reveals-benedict-cumberbatch-garth-izar

FROM SCOOP IT! BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

Benedict Cumberbatch's Villain In 'Star Trek 2' Revealed? NEWS BY KEVIN JAGERNAUTH | JULY 9, 2012 9:23 AM (PLAYLIST)

While speculation has run rampant about who exactly Benedict Cumberbatch is playing as the villain in "Star Trek 2" -- with some folks utterly convinced he's Khan (or some kind of relation) -- it looks like J.J. Abrams is throwing it back even further, should this report turn out to be on the level.

Doing the rounds for "Dredd," which premieres at Comic-Con this week, Karl Urban spoke to SFX and when asked about working with Cumberbatch on the sci-fi sequel, he let a bit of intel slip out saying: “He’s awesome, he’s a great addition, and I think his Gary Mitchell is going to be exemplary.”

As SFX notes, Gary Mitchell appeared in the original "Star Trek" TV series "Where No Man Has Gone Before." It was actually shot as a second pilot for the show, but wound up running as the third episode of the first season. Anyway, originally played by Gary Lockwood, Gary is a former Academy pal of Captain Kirk's, who gains telepathic and telekinetic, godlike powers. Spock advises Kirk to kill Mitchell, but he initially resists and tries to maroon him on a remote, industrial planet instead. But that effort fails and he's forced to take more drastic action.


READ MORE: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/gaaaaaarrrryyyyy-benedict-cumberbatchs-villain-in-star-trek-2-revealed-20120709#

Benedict Cumberbatch: KURTZMAN: MAGNETIC CUMBERBATCH & CRUSHING STAR TREK Posted by T'Bonz - 04/04/12 at 01:04 pm (TREK TODAY)

Star Trek 2‘s Alex Kurtzman is full of praise for J.J. Abrams, Star Trek 2 and newcomer Benedict Cumberbatch.

 Set to play a “mysterious villain,” Cumberbatch is receiving high marks for his work thus far in Star Trek 2.

“He’s incredible,” said Kurtzman. “What he does with language is incredible. His training is amazing and he’s so magnetic. He holds the screen in any size frame. He really is a joy to watch.”

Praise also went to J.J. Abrams. “The movie is going unbelievably well,” said Kurtzman. “J.J. as usual is crushing it; he’s doing an amazing, amazing job. I think as much as we put all of our love and effort into the first one, there’s even more in this one and he is really, he’s such an exacting and beautiful director.

What I watch him do, it’s so amazing, he inspires everybody around him and he’s been so utterly true to everything that we all have honored and loved about Trek so that’s kind of where we’re at right now. The finish line is in sight.”


READ MORE:  http://www.trektoday.com/content/2012/04/kurtzman-magnetic-cumberbatch-crushing-star-trek/

J.J. Abrams Talks Casting ‘Incredible’ Benedict Cumberbatch In ‘Star Trek’ Sequel (Access Hollywood)

First Published: January 8, 2012 3:29 PM EST Credit: Getty Images
Caption


LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Despite the reports, J.J. Abrams won’t confirm that “Sherlock” actor Benedict Cumberbatch is specifically set to play “Star Trek’s” villain in the second film in the intergalactic series, which begins shooting next week, but he was willing to talk about what brought the British actor to the fold.

“He’s a genius,” J.J. told AccessHollywood.com on Sunday, following the panel at the Television Critics Association Winter Session in Pasadena, for his new show on FOX, “Alcatraz.”
“He’s just an incredible actor,” J.J. continued of Benedict. “Honestly, if you’ve seen the work in ‘Sherlock,’ he’s just got incredible skills. He did amazing work in ‘Frankenstein’ [on the London stage]. He’s brilliant. I mean, you try to cast people who are great. We got lucky.”

J.J. confirmed they met with a number of actors for the “Star Trek” sequel, but Benedict was the right fit.

“I just loved his work and thought that he was perfect for what we needed, so we were very lucky,” J.J. told Access.

The second “Star Trek” under J.J. begins shooting next week, but J.J. said he’ll still have time to fulfill his Executive Producer duties in “Alcatraz,” which reunites him with “Lost” actor Jorge Garcia.

“We start shooting ‘Star Trek’ on Thursday, so I gotta go,” he laughed. “What I’ve been trying to do is help, whether it’s read the scripts, giving notes, giving suggestions on cuts, overseeing doing the theme music, that kind of stuff, playing with the show and kind of help get it up running.”

“Alcatraz” follows a trio investigating the reappearance of Alcatraz’s most notorious prisoners and guards, 50 years after they vanished.

The show will have some resolution in each episode, but also overriding questions.

“I can’t help but liking shows that have an ongoing mythology,” J.J. told reporters after the panel. “It’s a weird thing to me to feel like things are wrapped up completely, so hopefully, ‘Alcatraz’ will allow things to exist over [the] long term and also have a week to week specific puzzle that needs to be solved.”

“Alcatraz’s” two-hour premiere kicks off at 8/7c on January 16 on FOX.


http://www.accesshollywood.com/jj-abrams-talks-casting-incredible-benedict-cumberbatch-in-star-trek-sequel_article_58752