With Tom Cruise said to be J.J. Abrams' choice to play Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek, the hoped-for villain is rumored to be an equally in demand star: Russell Crowe.

IGN reported that Paramount "is trying to woo none other than Oscar winner Russell Crowe" to play the main adversary, though Crowe has a busy schedule already planned for the next several months. The source who spoke to IGN did not say whether the villain would be human or alien, though IGN took the idea of the Gladiator star's consideration to mean that the villain was expected to be a leader.

IGN also suggested that casting a major star like Cruise or Crowe would require a Kirk capable of rising to such levels, particularly since, according to Trek canon, Kirk must will the loyalty of Pike's science officer, Spock. With the role of Chekov said to be cast, it is not known which other familiar characters from the original series will ultimately appear.

As to whether Kirk will have a love interest, IGN noted that the film might be set in the era when Kirk and Carol Marcus conceived son David. Previous rumors have said that Spock would find romance - one publication suggested Jennifer Garner in the role - but Abrams has confirmed no such story details.

The original article, which contains both rumour and speculation, is here.

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