Thor

Post by **Dan** » July 13th, 2009, 2:34 pm

Courtesy of Marvel

Marvel Studios announced today that Academy Award® nominated actress Natalie Portman has been cast to star as Jane Foster in the studio's highly anticipated movie Thor. In the early "Thor" comics, Jane Foster was a nurse who became Thor's first love. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation. Portman will star opposite Chris Hemsworth who will play Thor and Tom Hiddleston who will play the villain Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct the film.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce Thor. Principal photography for the film is set for early 2010. The film will be released in the US on May 20, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of superhero: Thor. This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Thor is one of a continuing slate of films being produced by Marvel Studios based on the Marvel characters, including Iron Man 2 on May 7, 2010, The First Avenger: Captain America on July 22, 2011, and The Avengers on May 4, 2012.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » July 13th, 2009, 2:58 pm

Definitely not someone whose name I would have expected to pop up for a Thor movie.

Hopefully, the costume looks better than the current outfits the character uses in the Ultimate and mainline Marvel books. It's gotta be better than what was used for this made-for-TV Hulk films! That Thor was sad!

Post by **Dacey** » July 14th, 2009, 10:51 pm

I'm seriously happy about this. Portman was great in her last comic book film, "V for Vendetta," and I'm sure that she'll be great in this one.

Post by **Rodney** » July 15th, 2009, 10:30 am

What's strange so far is that she is by far the most famous actor attached to this project and her role is of the love interest. My guess is that she only has a one-film contract. I wonder if she is attached to the sequels (if any).

Post by **Ben** » July 16th, 2009, 7:55 am

But then so was Jen Connelly on the original Hulk...

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » July 16th, 2009, 12:06 pm

I really could care less if Portman is in the project.

She's been a nonentity or frankly horrible in the genre films I've seen her cast in.

A lot of actors are doing superhero films now for both money and exposure. It's not about art. These films are the "it" genre film of the moment. ==> At least until a few high profile, high budget films bomb spectacularly.

What'll make or break the film as much as the script is the actor they cast as Thor...

I didn't think Iron Man would be that good but Robert Downey, Jr. really surprised me and helped make that film one of the better live-action superhero adaptations I've seen. Downey turned around a character that Marvel has tried its best (and succeeded) at making as unlikeable as possible in the past ten years. Downey definitely brought a swagger and charm back to Tony Stark that I've seen in the better-written Iron Man comics that I have trade reprints of.

I'd say the filmmakers of Thor have at least as much work cut out for them as the Iron Man production crew, too. Thor is perhaps even more obscure to the general public than even Iron Man was!

It's really not worth bringing up the religious/mythical aspect of the Thor character since most people have never taken a mythology class in their lives or just didn't pay attention in school during the Norse mythos lessons. People are just ignorant of the cultural history behind Thor. They wouldn't know Mjolnir from Loki or Odin!

Honestly, the Thor production crew have a big job in making people care about the film. Thor's never been one of the more popular Marvel characters and has always been overshadowed by other characters in spite of a good run or two. The comic has never been a particularly big sales success, either, despite a critically-acclaimed run by Walt Simonson on the character's title in the 1980s..

Post by **Dan** » July 16th, 2009, 2:23 pm

I'm just interested in the fact that this is being directed by Kenneth Branagh. To bring aboard a Shakespearean-trained actor/director to a superhero project, giving him the biggest budget he has ever had since Hamlet, is the most unique casting to me. Branagh generally likes hooking up with theater-experienced actors, so I'm sure there was something to Natalie, Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) that he liked.

Though I'm not surprised he cast Brian Blessed (Clayton in Disney's Tarzan). XD This will be the fifth film he's casted him in (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, As You Like It).

Post by **eddievalient** » July 16th, 2009, 3:12 pm

Well, Stan Lee tried to write Thor with very artsy, Shakespearean language so it makes sense to have a Shakespearean writer/director attached to better bring out those aspects. I know next to nothing about Thor (the comic) though, so I'll be going in cold. Hopefully it'll be good. Except for Punisher War Zone, I don't think Marvel has made any bad movies since Blade got the ball rolling.

Post by **Ben** » July 17th, 2009, 5:38 am

Let's not forget Branagh's big budget Frankenstein!

And Blessed is perhaps better know for <B>"GORDON'S ALIIIIIIIVVEEE??"</B> in the 1980 Flash movie, and Boss Nass in The Phantom Menace, as well as that Disney villain, naturally, although he gave a good vocal performance I didn't think they did as much as they could have done with him or the character. I didn't think Clayton was one of the better villains of recent years, but on the other hand he was understated and not too overblown, which could have gone the other way and not made him as rounded.

Not surprised he's on this new movie either...Ken and Brian go way back. I'm thinking, also going by what Eddie said above, that this Thor could all be Spoken In Very Good English By People That Like To Over Pronounce Their Words...!

Post by **eddievalient** » July 17th, 2009, 10:30 am

Although I meant to say actor, not writer. Oops.

Post by **Dan** » July 17th, 2009, 9:38 pm

Nowadays, whenever I think of Brian, I think of him as King Richard IV in the first Blackadder series. I bought the complete series earlier this year and have been utterly hooked.

In terms of films he's directed, I've seen four. Hamlet is phenomenal. Frankenstein was not bad, but certainly could have been better. Sleuth was quite a fun showcase of the acting abilities Michael Caine and Jude Law possess. And I really adore Peter's Friends after having discovered it from my recent interest in all things Fry and Laurie (Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie).

Post by **Dan** » April 30th, 2010, 4:29 pm

Figured I'd post on this thread so as not to start a new one in relation to Thor.

Ain't It Cool News got their hands on the first pic of Chris Hemsworth as Thor.

Post by **EricJ** » April 30th, 2010, 11:09 pm

Ben wrote:And Blessed is perhaps better know for "GORDON'S ALIIIIIIIVVEEE??" in the 1980 Flash movie
Not surprised he's on this new movie either...Ken and Brian go way back.

Lord Akiyama wrote:Nowadays, whenever I think of Brian, I think of him as King Richard IV in the first Blackadder series. I bought the complete series earlier this year and have been utterly hooked.

He's made a career off of Hawkman and the King ("Fresh horses!")--But I never did get to see him onstage as the Baron in the UK stage "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".

Blessed's become one of the Branagh Repertory in the Shakespeare films (he was the Ghost in Hamlet and appeared in Much Ado and Henry V), so I'm just hoping it won't be too much of a Branagh film.

In terms of films he's directed, I've seen four. Hamlet is phenomenal. Frankenstein was not bad, but certainly could have been better. Sleuth was quite a fun showcase of the acting abilities Michael Caine and Jude Law possess..

Thought Hamlet and Sleuth were misconceived, but still more of Branagh's attempt to do a "Actor's company" movie.
This one's more in the Frankenstein/Dead Again "Good-looking mainstream on a big budget" category, and those are more serviceable without looking shabby.

Post by **Ben** » May 1st, 2010, 11:52 am

Aha! Forgot about the Blessed Baron in Chitty: I was lucky enough to catch the opening weeks of the show, with Blessed as the Baron, Michael Ball as Potts and Richard (Rocky Horror) O'Brien as a very spindly Child Catcher.

It was a magic night and an excellent stage interpretation, where the new songs (yay, written and integrated by the Shermans!) really worked well with their previously composed film songs, unlike Poppins on stage, where the new British writers really came at the material from a different approach...and it shows, with a disjointed feel that doesn't help keep the new songs from jumping out anyway.

Post by **EricJ** » May 1st, 2010, 6:35 pm

Before we get too far off on the subject, just who IS Blessed playing, assuming he is?--His name doesn't show up on IMDb yet.

(It's not Volstagg, as that's listed as Ray "The one true Punisher" Stevenson.)

Thor

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Re: Natalie Portman joins cast of Thor

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