‘Star Trek 3’: Will Newly Cast ‘Kingsman’ Sofia Boutella Play A Villain?
Star Trek 3 has a new lead actress in Sofia Boutella, according to Deadline and Variety. Boutella, a French-Algerian actress and dancer, was recently in Kingsman: The Secret Service as Gazelle, a sword-legged henchwoman. At this time, very little is known about the kind of character Boutella will play although there’s speculation she’ll be a villain.
Before landing the role in Kingsman and ultimately Star Trek 3, Boutella appeared in music videos for artists such as Madonna, Rihanna, and Ne-Yo. She also appeared in Nike advertisement campaigns. Sofia’s portrayal of Gazelle in Kingsman seems to be her breakout role, with many film critics lauding her performance in the film.
THE MOVIE IS OUT! @KingsmanMovie Who’s ready for a fun time? #Kingsman in theaters NOW. http://t.co/ThIXpzBCbz pic.twitter.com/Qg37SuDbqz
— Sofia Boutella (@sofisia) February 14, 2015
Idris Elba was rumored to have been in talks for a role as a villain in Star Trek, but no news has emerged as to whether he’ll be in the movie. He’s listed as part of the cast on IMDb with “rumored” next to his name. Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston had also been rumored to be considered for Star Trek’s new villain.
Director Justin Lin (Fast and Furious) signed on to direct Star Trek 3 soon after Roberto Orci left the project in December. J.J. Abrams, who directed the first two rebooted Star Trek films, left the franchise to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Star Trek 3 script is still being written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung at this time. Pegg also stars in the movie as Scotty and has scripted before with the films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, and Run Fatboy Run. Jung is the creator of the TNT series Dark Blue and has written for Paramount before with a film called Diamond. Pegg and Jung have said they’re working on this movie staying true to the original series.
Star Trek 3 seems to keep forging ahead despite the pre-production shakeups. Trekkies can look forward to finding out what character Sofia will play, what the official title of the third installment will be, and whether Idris Elba will end up in the film or not. The entire main cast is returning for the film, and in just a couple of months, Screenrant reports the cameras will begin to roll.
Paramount has commented on the Star Trek casting news.
Star Trek 3 is slated to release on July 8, 2016, marking the 50th anniversary of the series debut on TV.
[Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images]
