Eric Bana Cast As Bad Guy Nero In New 'Trek' Film

Paramount Pictures today officially announced Eric Bana will be playing the role of bad guy "Nero" in the new Star Trek film.

Previous rumors had suggested director J.J. Abrams wanted to cast Russel Crowe or Karl Urban as the film's main villain, but by casting Bana his goal of casting a big-name actor for the role seems to have been fulfilled. Bana had starring roles in blockbusters such as Hulk, Troy and Munich, and will next year appear opposite Natalie Portman Scarlett Johansson in The Other Boleyn Girl.

Beyond the name of Nero for Bana's character, no other details on the film's main villain were revealed. In fact, the Hollywood Reporter noted today that shrouded in so much secrecy, that many of the film's roles were in fact offered to actors without even offering them a script to read. Abrams apparently worked the same way for his upcoming monster movie Cloverfield.

Eric Bana was born in Australia 39 years ago as Eric Banadinovich. After building his career on the Australian sketch comedy show Full Frontal and spending a decade making acclaimed Australian movies, Bana moved over to the US when director Ridley Scott cast him in Black Hawk Down. In this film, he appeared opposite Tom Hardy, who played Shinzon on Star Trek: Nemesis.

For the original report from Variety, please follow this link.

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