'Star Trek 3' 2016 Cast Rumors: Bryan Cranston Reportedly In Talks For Villain Role

It looks like Simon Pegg’s version of the “Star Trek 3” script might have made room for one of the more popular villainous actors of our generation. A new report indicates that “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston may be in talks to go head-to-head with the Enterprise crew by playing the third antagonist in the rebooted franchise's next film.

According to a report from Film Divider, the new script from Pegg and co-writer Doug Jung calls for a villain that is a Cranston-like character. With the Tony and five-time Emmy award-winning actor relatively free at the moment, the site claims that Cranston, 58, has “had words” with the studio about taking on the role.

At this point, it’s unclear exactly what the film's villain will want, or even if he will be human. The main “Star Trek” baddies -- the Romulans and Klingons -- have already been portrayed in the rebooted franchise. When fans last left the Enterprise crew, they were embarking on a five-year exploration mission in deep space.

According to Cinema Blend, the original "Stark Trek 3" script, penned by departed director Roberto Orci, saw the crew a few years into their mission where they encounter a new unknown threat. This led many to believe that the third movie would be inspired by some of The Original Series’ episodes “monster of the week” format and invent a new villain for the third installment. However, with Orci out, and Pegg and Jung rewriting the script for new director Justin Lin (“Fast 6”), it’s unclear what the status of the five-year mission will be, or if Cranston could don the Romulan makeup in the third film.

The report from Film Divider also indicated that the movie is looking to cast three female roles. The first two would be a captain of another Federation starship. The third would be the President of the United Federation of Planets. While the inclusion of more women in a largely male-centric cast is exciting, it's the alleged third role that's most interesting. Bones (Karl Urban) mentioned his ex-wife in the first movie and now it looks like fans might get their first look at her in “Star Trek 3.” Since she’s likely not located in deep space, it would seem that Orci’s original plans may already be out the window.

According to a report from Screen Rant, the film is currently scheduled to begin filming at Vancouver Film Studios on April 15. “Star Trek 3” is currently scheduled to premiere in theaters July 8, 2016.