'Star Trek Into Darkness': 9 minutes with 'The Hobbit' in IMAX 3D

Zachary Quinto as Spock, left, and Chris Pine as James T. Kirk in “Star Trek.” (Paramount Pictures)

Fans can get their first glimpse of footage from “Star Trek Into Darkness” before select screenings of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” Paramount announced Wednesday. The first nine minutes of the highly anticipated sequel to J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek” film will be previewed before IMAX 3D screenings in roughly 500 theaters beginning Dec. 14.

Abrams seems to have taken a page from “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan and “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” director Brad Bird; like those films, parts of the “Star Trek” sequel were filmed using the large-format IMAX cameras.

“Star Trek Into Darkness,” written by “Lost” alumni Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, is slated for a May 17, 2013, release after four years of speculation and hype from eager fans. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto will reprise their respective roles as James T. Kirk and Spock. Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Bruce Greenwood are also returning.

Benedict Cumberbatch is joining the cast as the film’s yet-to-be-announced villain (although he’s rumored to be Khan) after wining the role based on an audition video that was shot and sent with an iPhone.

“Benedict has an incredible presence and brooding intensity,” the film’s co-producer Bryan Burk said. “To say he’s a welcome addition to the ‘Star Trek’ cast is an understatement; he’s an actor that truly captivates his audience.”

Coincidentally, Cumberbatch also has a couple of roles in Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” films, voicing the Necromancer and the dragon Smaug, but it’s unlikely either of those characters will appear in the first film in the expected Tolkien trilogy.

Will you be making an unexpected journey to “The Hobbit” to catch a glimpse of “Star Trek Into Darkness”? Let us know in the comments.

– Noelene Clark

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