Cinematical

There are some comic book heroes I just can't envision on the big screen. One of these is Thor -- but Matthew Vaughn is still determined to do it. In an interview with Empire, he confirms that he's still on board and that the next move is up to Marvel. "We're in a holding pattern at the moment," he said. "It's up to Marvel, they have to decide if they want to make the movie and then we take it from there."

Marvel not want to make a comic book movie? Yeah, I don't think they're really going to duck out of that. Vaughn recognizes that the character is inherently a bit ridiculous, but is confident he can strike a balance between a faithful portrayal and updating that winged helmet. "I think you have to respect that it is comic book and silly to be frank, so you have to combine that with a modern style and hopefully come up with something fresh. I think we can come up with something special." Last September, he cited Gladiator as an inspiration, and scriptwriter Mark Protosevich sees the story in Biblical terms.

Vaughn also says he wants a total unknown to play the part -- I think this is the first buff hero movie that hasn't immediately had Gerard Butler's name attached to it. (Until someone picks this up and sees only "Butler" and "Thor" and runs it as a rumor.) Another Scottish actor, Kevin McKidd, was rumored to be in the running but is still in talks only for a secondary part.

Like I said, I can't really picture it. Even in epic Gladiator terms, I still see it as something that might have been made in the 1980's. Am I missing the awesomeness of the character? Feel free to flame me and tell me so, Thor fans.