Buy:Goldberg74
10-05-08, 02:07 PM
Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993032.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1) is reporting that Kenneth Branagh is being courted to direct Thor.
Branagh in talks to direct 'Thor'
Brit set to wield hammer on Marvel Studios pic
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Kenneth Branagh is negotiating to direct "Thor," the next Marvel Comics property that will be turned into a live-action film by Marvel Studios. Pic will be released in 2010.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige's choice of Branagh is surprising, as Branagh hasn't really directed an action-heavy film since his debut on "Henry V," a bloody telling of the British king's conquest of France.
Branagh is the latest in a string of directors -- such as Jon Favreau ("Iron Man"), Christopher Nolan (the Batman franchise) and Gavin Hood ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine") -- with arthouse roots taking on big-budget comicbook fare.
Marvel will set a distributor for "Thor" shortly.
"Thor" comicbook adaptation, penned by Mark Protosevich, follows disabled medical student Donald Blake, who has an alter ego as the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor.
Marvel will self-finance the film via its $500 million credit facility through Merrill Lynch. Marvel used that coin to fund both "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" and will do the same for the "Iron Man" sequel that has director Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. returning.
The "Thor" negotiations come during a resurgence for Branagh. He's currently drawing raves on the London stage in the title role of "Ivanov," and he'll next be seen acting in the Richard Curtis-directed "The Boat That Rocked" and the Bryan Singer-helmed "Valkyrie."
Branagh is repped by Endeavor and manager Judy Hofflund.
... and from RT (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008725-thor/news/1760487/weekly_ketchup_branagh_directs_thor_seagal_vs_aliens):
#1 VERILY! KENNETH BRANAGH DOTH VALIANTLY PLEDGE TO HELM YON THOR FOR THOU!
If there's one thing that always made Thor stand out as a character and a comic to me, it was his vaguely-Shakespearean way of speaking. I don't know if Stan Lee intended it, but he basically educated generations of kids about antiquated words like "thou", "thee" and "doth", and it made Thor seem even more "bad ass" along the way. Thor putting his big stone hammer beatdown on some troll, yelling something like "Verily, thou will not stand!"; you just don't get better than that in classic comics. Walt Simonson's 1980s run was also great at that. And so, it makes a brilliant kind of perfect sense that Marvel is negotiating to put the job of directing Thor in the hands of Kenneth Branagh, who has built his reputation on his adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. With a script full of Thor-speak, Branagh will be the guy to make sure that the actors are able to speak that way without sounding, you know, really lame. And now, I will do a little of speculating. Might Marvel also have an eye on getting Branagh to also play Thor's human alter-ego, the meek, crippled Dr. Donald Blake? Branagh obviously doesn't have the frame or stature to play Thor himself, but he seems like a very good choice to play Blake, but again, that's just me guessing. Like Robert Downey, Jr., Kenneth Branagh is an actor who seems ripe for breaking out from the B list into being a major star. Branagh's got the second star spot in Valkyrie coming next year (presuming that Tom Cruise-pirate-looking-Nazi movie doesn't flop), and if he were to star in Thor, that might just do the trick for his career.
I think that Branagh would make a good Dr. Blake... but he might be too old.
Branagh in talks to direct 'Thor'
Brit set to wield hammer on Marvel Studios pic
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Kenneth Branagh is negotiating to direct "Thor," the next Marvel Comics property that will be turned into a live-action film by Marvel Studios. Pic will be released in 2010.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige's choice of Branagh is surprising, as Branagh hasn't really directed an action-heavy film since his debut on "Henry V," a bloody telling of the British king's conquest of France.
Branagh is the latest in a string of directors -- such as Jon Favreau ("Iron Man"), Christopher Nolan (the Batman franchise) and Gavin Hood ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine") -- with arthouse roots taking on big-budget comicbook fare.
Marvel will set a distributor for "Thor" shortly.
"Thor" comicbook adaptation, penned by Mark Protosevich, follows disabled medical student Donald Blake, who has an alter ego as the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor.
Marvel will self-finance the film via its $500 million credit facility through Merrill Lynch. Marvel used that coin to fund both "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" and will do the same for the "Iron Man" sequel that has director Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. returning.
The "Thor" negotiations come during a resurgence for Branagh. He's currently drawing raves on the London stage in the title role of "Ivanov," and he'll next be seen acting in the Richard Curtis-directed "The Boat That Rocked" and the Bryan Singer-helmed "Valkyrie."
Branagh is repped by Endeavor and manager Judy Hofflund.
... and from RT (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008725-thor/news/1760487/weekly_ketchup_branagh_directs_thor_seagal_vs_aliens):
#1 VERILY! KENNETH BRANAGH DOTH VALIANTLY PLEDGE TO HELM YON THOR FOR THOU!
If there's one thing that always made Thor stand out as a character and a comic to me, it was his vaguely-Shakespearean way of speaking. I don't know if Stan Lee intended it, but he basically educated generations of kids about antiquated words like "thou", "thee" and "doth", and it made Thor seem even more "bad ass" along the way. Thor putting his big stone hammer beatdown on some troll, yelling something like "Verily, thou will not stand!"; you just don't get better than that in classic comics. Walt Simonson's 1980s run was also great at that. And so, it makes a brilliant kind of perfect sense that Marvel is negotiating to put the job of directing Thor in the hands of Kenneth Branagh, who has built his reputation on his adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. With a script full of Thor-speak, Branagh will be the guy to make sure that the actors are able to speak that way without sounding, you know, really lame. And now, I will do a little of speculating. Might Marvel also have an eye on getting Branagh to also play Thor's human alter-ego, the meek, crippled Dr. Donald Blake? Branagh obviously doesn't have the frame or stature to play Thor himself, but he seems like a very good choice to play Blake, but again, that's just me guessing. Like Robert Downey, Jr., Kenneth Branagh is an actor who seems ripe for breaking out from the B list into being a major star. Branagh's got the second star spot in Valkyrie coming next year (presuming that Tom Cruise-pirate-looking-Nazi movie doesn't flop), and if he were to star in Thor, that might just do the trick for his career.
I think that Branagh would make a good Dr. Blake... but he might be too old.