British actor Tom Hardy was rumoured today to be in negotiations for the main villain role in the upcoming tenth Star Trek film, 'Nemesis.'

According to a report on TrekWeb, Paramount Pictures has cast Hardy in the role of Shinzon, the clone of Picard who leads an uprising on the Romulan word of Reman. Hardy's official biography describes the actor as being 5'11" with blue green eyes and brown hair, which would put him at 3 inches above Patrick Stewart (Picard), but with sufficient makeup it should still be possible to turn Hardy into a believable younger clone of Picard..

While Hardy is apparently the primary choice for Paramount Pictures, the studio was reportedly still negotiating a final deal. However, some of the scenes of the film have already started shooting, so completing the deal should be done sooner rather than later.

Previously, Paramount had been rumoured to be considering fellow British actor Jude Law for the Shinzon role (story), but this was never officially confirmed.

As a rather young actor, Hardy has only been active in the world of film and television for a few years. He was most recently seen in the acclaimed HBO series Band of Brothers playing the role of Private Janovec, and will be appearing later this year in another military role in Ridley Scott's 'Black Hawk Down.' Prior to his film work, he appeared on the British stage with the London Drama Centre.

TrekWeb's original report on this can be found here, while Hardy's official biography can be found here. Please keep in mind that Paramount has released no official information on the casting for 'Star Trek X: Nemesis' yet, and until they do any such information from unofficial sources should be treated as you would any rumour.

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