Benicio Del Toro Drops Out Of J.J. Abrams’ ‘Star Trek’ Sequel

Paramount and director J.J. Abrams’ sequel to the successful Star Trek reboot is set to begin shooting this January, but they’ll now have to make do without a high-profile actor.

Benicio Del Toro, who had been in talks last month to play the sequel’s new villain (speculated as Khan) has apparently walked from the project due to monetary issues.

Vulture is reporting that Del Toro has dropped out of the much anticipated Star Trek sequel after parties could not agree to terms over monetary compensation. Shooting may now suffer delays as Abrams is now forced to find an immediate replacement due to Del Toro’s departure.

Ever since Del Toro’s first linked to the project, there have been rumors that he might play Khan. A character played Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Although LatinoReview allegedly confirmed the rumor, Abrams has since reported to Hitfix that the report was “not true.”