'Star Trek 3' Release Date, Cast News: Avengers Star Idris Elba Offered to Play Klingon Villain

Already a part of the Avengers film franchise, Indris Elba is seeking to add more credit to his acting career as he has been approached to play a part in the upcoming third film of the Star Trek franchise. He is rumored to be in the running to play a Klingon villain in "Star Trek 3," which is due for release in the summer of 2016.

According to Variety, which broke the news of his planned inclusion in the cast, the 42-year-old Elba has taken part in early talks and could play the primary villain in the movie which will focus on the Klingon Empire.

Elba is due to appear in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" this year and also "The Jungle Book" from Disney. The actor has also been getting a lot of recognition for his work in Cary Fukunaga's "Beasts of No Nation."

Very little details have emerged so far about Star Trek 3. These include Justin Lin being tapped as the director of the third Star Trek reboot. He will be taking over the helming job from JJ Abrams. Lin has directed a number of blockbuster films, including "Fast & Furious 6." However, Abrams remains onboard as a producer.

The lack of information about the characters of "Star Trek 3" is widely expected since this was the same formula adopted prior to the release of the last Star Trek movie, "Star Trek Into Darkness." During that time, there were also scant details about the role Benedict Cumberbatch would play. It was only when the movie was about to be screened when it was revealed that Cumberbatch would play the role of Khan Noonien Singh, one of the foremost villains in the series.

Another rumor about the cast in the upcoming film surfaced last month when it was reported that Bryan Cranston had been approached for an undisclosed role and that three female roles were also up for grabs.

As for the rest of the cast, Chris Pine will return to play the role of Captain James T. Kirk on the iconic starship Enterprise. Zachary Quinto, who appeared in the first two films in the rebooted franchise, will return to play Mr. Spock. Zoe Saldana is also expected to return as Uhura.