Marvel Films is gearing up to get Norse God Thor into theaters next summer. Director Kenneth Branagh has been signed on for awhile now and just recently, a small trickle of casting has come in.
The official announcement a few days ago was that Tom Hiddleston, shown on the right, would be taking on the role of mischievous chaos god, Loki. The rumor mill heavily points in the direction of Chris Hemsworth wielding the mighty Mjolnr as title character Thor.
Don't worry if neither of these two names are familiar as both are relative unknowns. Hiddleston is a stage actor who recently worked with Branagh on both stage and screen. Hemsworth meanwhile played Captain Kirk's father in the first couple of minutes of Star Trek. Neither are household names, but considering Branagh's background in Shakespearean theater we can assume these guys must have the chops to play the roles to perfection. I've got faith in this, but my big question is-- Will the American public?
Thor is kind of a hard sell. He's a superhero, but he's also a Norse god and he speaks with "thees" and "thous" intact. Thor is essentially the world of high fantasy and mythology mixed with classic superhero action. While the character has been a staple of Marvel Comics for years, he hasn't exactly been their most popular character franchise outside of the books themselves.
It's a bold move on both Branagh and Marvel's part to go forward with two relative unknowns in the lead of a movie which may alienate general audiences with its high brow mythological infulences. Thor will be a part of the Avenger mega-crossover movie, so perhaps it was an economic decision on Marvel's part.
Whatever the reason, we'll be able to see if they pull it off when Thor hits theaters next summer.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment