10 Actors Who Turned Down Star Trek
2. Benicio Del Toro Could Have Been Khan
Star Trek: Into Darkness' attempts to claim that Khan wasn't the movie's villain never managed to convince fans. No one bought for a second that the character of John Harrison was a new creation, as he was obviously the wrathful and iconic Star Trek villain, Khan.
While Benedict Cumberbatch did a bang-up job playing the role, he was still a peculiar choice, as the original portrayal from Ricardo Montalban depicted the character as Latin-American, thus Cumberbatch's casting was quickly labelled as white-washing. Had the role gone to its original option - Del Toro - then the secret would have been even more obvious, and any such criticism would have been moot.
In another universe, we would have gotten this outcome, as the charismatic and darkly charming performer was so close to being a part of the film - and would have suited Khan down to a T. Sadly, he pulled out at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts with Inherent Vice and a dispute over pay.
Luckily for the actor, he was still able to bring his name to a popular Sci-Fi property thanks to his involvement in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. However, it's safe to say that his rather forgettable and irrelevant place in that science fiction instalment was nowhere near as impactful as what Khan would have been.