If Khan is in the Star Trek Sequel, Simon Pegg Doesn’t Know About It

 

As we await an announcement from Paramount Pictures as to who will replace Benicio del Toro as the villain in the Star Trek sequel, the rumor mill continues to insist that role will be Khan Noonien Singh, the genetically engineered tyrant played twice by Ricardo Montalbán.

Despite a terse yet somewhat confusing denial from director J.J. Abrams — was he talking about del Toro’s involvement or Khan’s inclusion when he said “not true”? — circumstantial evidence would appear to be in the character’s favor: With Edgar Ramirez and Jordi Molla as the rumored contenders to replace del Toro, Abrams seems set on casting an actor of Latin descent in a role Variety contends is “someone familiar to Trekkies.”

Hoping to get some inside information on the film’s antagonist, MTV News turned to Simon Pegg who, unlike fellow co-stars John Cho and Anton Yelchin, has seen a script — or, at least part of it. Unfortunately, though, he doesn’t know anything about this Khan fellow either.

“I haven’t heard the name Khan come up,” said Pegg, who reprises his role as Scotty. “Not to say it won’t come up, but I have heard no mention of him whatsoever. He is a great villain. I don’t want to say too much and then have to eat my words as I often do, but we’ve seen Khan [in a Trek movie before]. To see him again, how much value is there in that? I don’t know.”

He does, however, know all about a big sex scene involving a certain starship engineer. Maybe.

“There is a large group sex scene with Scotty and some green chicks. That’s all I know; that’s all I’ve been told. It was a sweetener,” Pegg joked. “That was my condition for doing the film.”

Pegg, Cho and Yelchin will be joined by returning stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban and Zoe Saldana, as well as new additions Alice Eve and Peter Weller. Star Trek 2 opens May 17, 2013.