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Shortly after Benicio Del Toro turned down the offer to tackle the villain for "Star Trek 2", it is now revealed that J.J. Abrams has set his eyes on Edgar Ramirez to take the part. The actor playing assassin Paz in "The Bourne Ultimatum" reportedly is a frontrunner with "Colombiana" actor Jordi Molla also included in the mix.

According to Variety, Ramirez is expected to test for the role via Skype this week as Abrams is moving fast to cast the major villain. Since Del Toro bailed out of the project, Abrams and Paramount Pictures aim to rush their search for an actor who could commit to a six-month filming schedule starting January 2012.

The exact details of the villainous character are still unclear. Previously, it was rumored that the supervillain in the untitled Star Trek sequel will be Khan Noonien Singh. Though Abrams insisted that the report was "not true", a highly placed source revealed to Vulture that Khan is "indeed the film's baddie."

In related news, it was recently reported that the original "RoboCop" actor, Peter Weller, has just been cast to join the forthcoming sci-fi movie. While Abrams kept the details of his role secret, Weller's agent Todd Eisner has hinted about what character the actor will play. "Of course J.J. Abrams is very tight-lipped about his project," Eisner told Entertainment Weekly. "But I do know that it's a substantial role and that Peter is playing a C.E.O."

To open wide in U.S. theaters on May 17, 2013, "Star Trek 2" will bring back Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana as James T. Kirk, Spock and Nyota Uhura respectively. Also supporting the much awaited sequel are Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, John Cho and Alice Eve.