Benedict Cumberbatch's Star Trek Into Darkness Role Possibly Leaked

Secrets can’t last forever. With a magnifier hovering over a project like J.J. Abrams’ wildly anticipated Star Trek Into Darkness, the film’s most tantalizing question – the identity of Benedict Cumberbatch’s villain – was bound to fly the coop. And it might have. We’re not 100% convinced. But a major outlet has run with a major clue, and we’re bringing it to you so that you can decide for yourself.

This potentially is a major Star Trek Into Darkness spoiler, so STOP READING if you do not want to know what we’re about to tell you.

BadassDigest has picked up an error on the part of Entertainment Weekly, which has two covers for the sci-fi sequel in the hopper. One cover has Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto). But the other has Pine and Cumberbatch... under the slug line “Kirk and Khan.”

A simple mistake on the part of an editorial intern? A calculated “error”? Hard to tell at this point. And I’m awfully skeptical of a major entertainment website like Entertainment Weekly being so frivolous with what Abrams has admitted is the biggest secret he has been tasked with keeping. And it's worth mentioning that the page is still up.

The director and his team have previously come out and said that Cumberbatch is not playing Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. Then again, as you recall, Abrams also said that we wasn’t planning on directing Star Wars: Episode VII, and we all know how that worked out, don’t we? So what do you think? Did EW out the greatest Star Trek secret with weeks to go before the movie opens on May 17? We’ll know soon enough. Let the speculation continue.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.