Benicio Del Toro out of ‘Star Trek’ sequel after money problems stop negotiations

Casting news for J.J. Abrams' next Star Trek film has been heating up since last week when it was reported that Alice Eve was in negotiations to play a major role in the film.

On Monday, it was reported that Peter Weller is also joining the cast. Prior to that, the only given aspect of the film was that Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro would play the villain. Now, Del Toro is out of the film, after negotiations broke down.

Del Toro was first connected to the film in early November. Sources have told New York Magazine that negotiations have broken down and Del Toro is off the project. Neither side could come to a monetary agreement, which derailed talks.

Now, Abrams is going to have to find a replacement quick, since the film is scheduled for a May 17, 2013 release. It was speculated that Khan, played by Ricardo Montalban in 1982’s The Wrath of Khan, could be the villain. That rumor heated up when Latino News reported that Del Toro would play Khan, but Abrams shot that down over the weekend. However, when New York Magazine reported that Del Toro dropped out, sources also told the magazine that Khan will be the villain.

MTV News last week spoke with Zachary Quinto, who played Spock in the 2009 film and is set to return, but he could not confirm news about Khan. “I haven't read the script...I can neither confirm nor deny those details, so if J.J. told you something more than I can tell you then you have more word than I do, but I'm really excited to get back to it, and we're all geared up for it,” he told the site.