We've already heard Benedict Cumberbatch talk about his villainous role as John Harrison in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness a few times already, but there's a new interview in which he talks about it even more. Here's some really interesting information on his character,
He is fed into the crew of the Enterprise and creates a lot of shadow play between Kirk and Spock. He is an awesome single-handed weapon of mass destruction but also a master mind-player and manipulator who plays with their roles and loyalties and understanding of what's right and wrong. As far as his own purpose, beyond the terrorist means, he has a noble cause, which will hopefully resonate with the audience.
We've previously heard this is going to be one of the craziest villains that the Star Trek crew has ever encountered. Cumberbatch went on to compare the role to Eric Bana's Nero saying,
It's a compliment to me, not a disservice to Eric Bana… I think what he was saying is that second time round you've established the origin story there. All the crew understand each other, but at the same time you have to up the stakes with their peril, which means bringing in a stronger antagonist. It's one of hugest compliments [J.J. Abrams] wanting to work with me, knowing how big this villain is.
Alice Eve also talks about the movie and playing Carol Marcus, and the characters relationship to Captain Kirk.
What happens in the first film is that Kirk is given his captaincy, but by the second film he maybe is wielding that power thoughtlessly. Spock and Bones are satellites of his ego and they represent a morality and a logic that he is lacking. My character is bossy and knows things and he is maybe not wanting to hear the truth. His journey is a journey of humbling oneself. A journey of pathos.
I can't wait to see Benedict's character in action, they are building it up to be completely mind blowing, and expectations are high. Like the first film, I think they will deliver on those high expectations and give fans another incredible Star Trek film.
A new viral website has also been launched for the film at AreYouThe1701.com that you should check out! The movie comes out on May 17th, 2013, and here's a separate video interview of the two discussing the film as well.