Kenneth Branagh to direct Thor

[Aeltri]

Feore usually plays bad guys, right? Well he may be some character who may be a movie creation(like Rachel Dawes was) that hasn't existed in the comics. I don't know why but I get the intuition that he may play the part of some regular human villain here on Earth who may or may not be sort of be an agent of Loki(whether he knows it or not......I guess could go either way). Just a hunch. Thor might need something like that to screw it down more to our reality/our ability to relate.

As someone stated I would be surprised if Feore isn't split face. There is the possibility that he may initially seem human and that the general audience will not be made aware of his true identity until well into the film, perhaps even towards to the end. Remember that Malekith is a sneaky git. His modus operandi is to adopt a false guise, hire some cronies and manipulate his enemies into doing themselves in. If he is attacked and cannot escape he then adopts a monstrous form as his normal body (like that of most elves) is comparatively frail.

 

[Chewy]

There is a new interview with Branagh about Wallander up here. He doesn't talk much about Thor (says he can't say much because he is under contract), but he talks about his decision to leave Hamlet. Here is the excerpt pertaining to Thor:

Meanwhile, Branagh has cast his Wallander co-star, Tom Hiddleston, in his next directorial project, Thor, starring Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. It’s another intriguing left turn in a consistently adventurous career, but at this early stage of production (filming begins in Los Angeles in the next few weeks) Branagh is contractually prevented from speaking about what, one imagines, will be a CGI-heavy Hollywood blockbuster comic-book adaptation. But he has been using his time in Sweden to research Viking mythology and visit Norway on fact-finding trips. So serious is he about the project that, last year, he handed over to Michael Grandage his planned directing of Jude Law in Hamlet – a huge theatrical undertaking that he had been preparing a year.

'I tried for a long time to see if I could do both [Hamlet and Thor],’ he says, 'and I couldn’t. And then I said to Michael and Jude, “What do you think?” You know, it was a difficult moment. You don’t want to let anybody down. But honesty’s the best policy.’ For Branagh the prospect of making a Marvel superhero movie 'is just such an extra-ordinary adventure to go on. It doesn’t happen every two minutes. And Michael and Jude said, “On your way, and enjoy it…’’’

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Has he directed any movies before?

 

[Chewy]

Uh, yeah

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Like?

 

[Chewy]

Henry V (amazing movie), Hamlet (amazing movie), Frankenstein (not so amazing movie)

The Jude Law Hamlet that he pulled out of was actually a really expensive stage production

 

[Aesop Rocks]

So he's used to this "mid-evil" style of film? Awesome.

 

[Timstuff]

Branagh knows a thing or two about medieval epics. Henry V is one of the best historical epics of all time, so I expect good things from Thor.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Yea man, he's very "British thespian". All that Shakespearean sorta stuff. It's actually amazing how PERFECT for Thor he is, and even more amazing that Marvel had the integrity to pick him over some blockbuster/action director.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

I just hope he'll know how to do an action/war/battle/1v1 sequence.

 

[kedrell]

^I haven't seen his Henry V but a lot of the action know how stuff falls on who he picks to be assistant director(s). Favreau, Nolan, Raimi, Jackson, etc. really didn't know jack about action before they made their jump to more action oriented films. But they surrounded themselves with others who did know a lot about that stuff and it worked out. This kind of thing is not without precedence. What these guys bring to a project is stuff that some pure action director like Michael Bay will always lack, mainly being first and foremost story-tellers.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Do we know who the assistant directors are for Thor?

 

[Chewy]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002184/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0262115/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0354917/

 

[Aesop Rocks]

That's a good list.

Valkyrie, War of The Worlds, bad place even Iron man 1&2!

 

[kedrell]

I agree, a very good list of AD's with strong action backrounds.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I haven't seen Valyrie yet. Ist das gud ja?

 

[Aesop Rocks]

I watched the opening action sequence, I liked it.

 

[Spider - Man]

Exactly what day this month does this start filming?

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Right this second. Started today.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Maybe, we still don't know though for sure.

 

[Chewy]

I re-watched Frankenstein the other day. I had forgotten that there is literally a five minute scene where a shirtless Kenneth Branagh wrestles a naked Robert De Niro in jello

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Hey man, thanks. That was something great to share.

 

[Chewy]

Any time

 

[Aztec]

I re-watched Frankenstein the other day. I had forgotten that there is literally a five minute scene where a shirtless Kenneth Branagh wrestles a naked Robert De Niro in jello

I still maintain that his Frankenstein was really good. Best adaptation of Shelley's book that I've seen. I never really understood the venom against it.

That was actually a really cool snippet of an interview. Now I see Branagh's angle in the character. Between this and a recent Feige quote it appears that KB was already very interested in Norse mythology and wanted to direct a Thor film. It appears that he wasn't terribly familiar with the Marvel character but was really into the mythology. I like that angle a lot.

 

[Webhead2006]

nice find about kenneth, i like he is very serious about the film and all that. i am sure he will do well.