By the Hammer! Kenneth Branagh Directing 'Thor'!
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See, kids? Superhero movies are classy now! According to Variety, the man of many parts, Kenneth Branagh, is set to direct Thor for Marvel Studios. I am pretty confident no one saw this choice coming -- there has been nary a whisper on the project since Matthew Vaughn left, and I really thought he'd probably swing back to it after Kick-Ass.
But somehow, this actually seems like the right fit for Branagh, who's taste has often leaned towards the bombastic. After all, scriptwriter Mark Protosevich told the Daily Herald last year that he saw the story of Thor in Biblical terms: "It's going to be like a super hero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of a Old Testament god who becomes a new Testament god." That takes a Shakespearean sort of eye, and while Branagh's directorial resume is middling, his best (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet) suggests he might just be able to deliver on the action and wit Thor calls for. Check out the embedded Much Ado clip after the jump (a bit NSFW) and see if that doesn't feel a bit like a comic book movie. If it doesn't, well, leave thine comments below.
But somehow, this actually seems like the right fit for Branagh, who's taste has often leaned towards the bombastic. After all, scriptwriter Mark Protosevich told the Daily Herald last year that he saw the story of Thor in Biblical terms: "It's going to be like a super hero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of a Old Testament god who becomes a new Testament god." That takes a Shakespearean sort of eye, and while Branagh's directorial resume is middling, his best (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet) suggests he might just be able to deliver on the action and wit Thor calls for. Check out the embedded Much Ado clip after the jump (a bit NSFW) and see if that doesn't feel a bit like a comic book movie. If it doesn't, well, leave thine comments below.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-29-2008 @ 10:08AM
Travis Tidmore said...
Marvel's docket keeps getting more and more interesting. I don't think I'd ever have picked Branagh for a superhero movie. But Thor does seem like a good fit. Let's just hope it's one of his good movies and not on of the crap ones.
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9-29-2008 @ 10:15AM
Sam said...
OMGWTFBBQ
Reply
9-29-2008 @ 10:28AM
indecks said...
Y'know, I don't really see KB directing a comicbook/superhero movie... but who cares? The guy classes up anything he's involved with by about 26% so I think it will be very interesting to see how he goes about it. Gotta love Mr. Branagh.
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9-29-2008 @ 11:00AM
vegimorph said...
at first my reaction was oh my god! you're kidding me! but now it makes me intrigued. I originally didn't feel very interested in seeing Thor but with Kenneth Branagh on board, i'm all for it. i'm a big fan of his movies. Excellent surprise too. didn't expect that one coming
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9-29-2008 @ 11:04AM
scottR said...
Christopher Nolan was an unexpected choice for Batman Begins, and I guess this continues the trend. Classy indeed.
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9-29-2008 @ 1:13PM
Brant said...
While unexpected, this should not be surprising. When Tim Burton was chosen to direct the first Batman, that was surprising. By now, choosing self-important auteurs for Hollywood's superhero du jour is nothing but de rigueur.
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10-02-2008 @ 10:15PM
Wes said...
This would be much MUCH cooler if KB cast himself as Thor.
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10-04-2008 @ 8:53PM
curtholman said...
Josh Holloway for Thor!
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2008/10/02/josh-holloway-for-thor/
Reply
10-05-2008 @ 9:49PM
stephen said...
Tell Kenneth to have 6'11'' Nathan Jones to play Thor!
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