Benedict Cumberbatch is adding to his already very impressive résumé with the huge news that he has been cast in JJ Abrams next instalment of Star Trek. Trek Movie got the exclusive report and has confirmed that Cumberbatch will be playing the villain of the film. This continues the good start to 2012 for Cumberbatch, as Sherlock returned to the BBC on New Year's Day with both a good critical response and impressive ratings.

There are no details yet to suggest who Cumberbatch will be playing but it is the same role that Benicio Del Toro was in line to play, until last month when negotiations broke down. Carlos star Édgar Ramírez was also considered but a source told Trek Movie that Cumberbatch's audition "blew them all away."

The Sherlock star has clearly been impressing casting agents recently as he has not one but two roles in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit; he will be playing Smaug the dragon via motion capture and he will be providing the voice for the Necromancer. You can also catch Benedict Cumberbatch in theaters in both Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Stephen Spielberg's War Horse. We also reported back in June that Cumberbatch would be leading a joint HBO/BBC venture Parade's End; a five-part mini-series set in Edwardian England and co-starring Rebecca Hall (The Town, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Frost/Nixon).

The next episode of Sherlock is an adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles and has been given the slight name change to "The Hounds of Baskerville." This new twist on the classic tale stars Being Human's Russell Tovey and involves a mysterious government testing facility. You can catch a sneak peek of the new episode below which sees Sherlock going from disinterest to intrigue over a local man's tale of strange happenings.

What do you think of this Star Trek casting news? Who do you think Cumberbatch will be playing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.