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Benedict Cumberbatch Bulked up for ‘Star Trek’

Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Star Trek'Benedict Cumberbatch ate 4,000 calories to get ready for Star Trek: Into Darkness. The actor has revealed he gorged on fattening foods and endured an intense physical boot camp in order to bulk up for his role as mysterious villain John Harrison in J.J. Abrams' sci-fi sequel.

"It was the first time I'd really intensely shape-shifted ... To go up from a 38 chest to a 42, eating 4,000 calories a day and training two hours a day, as well as the stunt rehearsals and fight choreography, was the most physical demand that's ever been made of me for the screen," he said.

However, Benedict was honest when asked whether he was a bit of a geek when it came to the cult space saga and revealed he was never obsessed with the programme when he was growing up. "Not very much ... I obviously have a latent fan fixation with Star Trek because of how thrilled I was when everyone got together in the first reboot. I never was obsessive about anything I watched when I was a kid, except maybe The A-Team and Airwolf ... And I loved Knight Rider and then later Baywatch," he confessed.


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Chris Pine: Star Trek Sequel is Close to Completion

Chris PineChris Pine says the Star Trek sequel is close to wrapping.

The 31-year-old actor is reprising his role as James T. Kirk in the J.J. Abrams-directed film and he has revealed it won't be long before the cast complete their scenes.

"We're almost done. It's wrapping up very soon. It's just as action-packed as the first one ... And it's relentless. I think that's the best adjective I can use," he said.

Chris has promised movie goers the sequel is even better than the last film - which was a reboot of the famous franchise - and is a direct continuation of the characters' storylines: "Of course I'm gonna tell you I think it's gonna be better. You pick up the characters from where they left off, and the development of the characters - I think - is just as exciting as the first one."

Chris will be joined in the movie by returning cast members Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and John Cho. The Star Trek sequel is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2013.


Star Trek 2 Plot Not ‘Solidified’

Benedict Cumberbatch and Zachary Quinto on the Star Trek 2 setZachary Quinto has revealed the plot to Star Trek 2 is not yet "solidified."

The actor - who plays the role of Vulcan character Spock in the sci-fi sequel - admits the director J.J. Abrams has not completely finished creating the storyline to the film, which he thinks is "great."

"What you guys are going to see has yet to be solidified, decided and defined and that's the great part about working with someone who is so mind-bogglingly talented as J.J. Abrams," he told E! News.

The movie - which also stars Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and newcomers Benedict Cumberbatch and Alice Eve - has been filming for a number of weeks, and the 34-year-old hunk adds the schedule has been gruelling but enjoyable: "It's been a really overwhelming schedule, but in all the right ways. I love to work hard and I'm certainly doing that right now."

Very little is known about the script of the film, but it is believed Sherlock actor Benedict will be playing a villainous role after he was pictured in a fight scene with Spock.


J.J. Abrams: ‘Star Trek 2 is Mine to Mess Up’

J.J. AbramsJ.J. Abrams believes it will be his fault if Star Trek 2 is not a success. The director - who returns to the sci-fi franchise for the follow-up to the hugely successful 2009 film - admits the script by Damon Lindelof, Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman is "amazing" and it is up to him to make it into a decent movie.

"It's a little early to be talking about Star Trek, but I will say that they wrote, the three writers Damon, Bob and Alex, they wrote the most amazing script and I'm thrilled to get a chance to direct it. It's totally mine to screw up, so if you don't like it, it's completely on me. Our sets are almost done, so we're going to go back and start shooting next month."

He also revealed the movie will not be shot with special 3-D cameras but instead converted in post-production. "We're shooting on film, 2-D, and then we'll do a good high-end conversion like the Harry Potter movie and all that. Luckily, with our release date now we have the months needed to do it right because if you rush it, it never looks good."

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana are all returning to the film, which is set for release in 2013.


Benicio Del Toro Pulls Out of Star Trek 2

Benicio Del ToroBenicio Del Toro has pulled out of negotiations to appear in Star Trek 2.

The Wolfman actor was in talks to play the lead bad guy in the forthcoming J.J. Abrams-directed sequel - starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana - but "monetary issues" have ended chances of him starring. Although no details of who the character is have so far been leaked, NYPost.com's Vulture blog claims he was set to play Khan Noonien-Singh in the much-hyped project.

The character - a genetically engineered super-human - originally appeared in the original Star Trek TV series and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and was played by Ricardo Montalban. No actors have been named as possible successors to Benicio, but with the film due to begin shooting in January a replacement will have to be found shortly.

The sequel is set to be shot in 3-D by director J.J., while Alice Eve - best known for the role of the Irish nanny in Sex and the City 2 - is signed up to star.


VIDEO: Zachary Quinto Unsure of Star Trek 2 Start Date


Sorry Trekkies. Although we were previously lead to believe that filming on the Star Trek sequel would begin early next year, that apparently is not true. According to one of the main actors, a start date has not yet been determined.

“We have a while until we’re gonna do another one. It probably won’t be until next year at this time,” told MTV at Comic-Con. “I know there’s erroneous reports that we’re going back in January. Not true, as far as I know.”

Click to continue reading VIDEO: Zachary Quinto Unsure of Star Trek 2 Start Date

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