What 'Thor' is Aiming For

The flurry that surrounded the casting of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston in Thor has abated, leaving us in a "So, what now?" kind of zone. No one really knows what to expect out of the actors or the story.

But CineFOOLS has a scoop on the latter, as they sat down with Thor co-writer Ashley Miller. He's such a fan of the series that he nearly pulled out his collection of bags and boards, so at least you know its in continuity-obessed hands. Miller hints that he's been heavily influenced by Walt Simonson's run (and possibly Ultimates 2), and is looking to make us really identify with the God of Thunder:

"You want to feel Thor's rage when he rages. You want to see him fight like hell, and take as much he dishes out -- maybe more. You want to have a visceral reaction to the guy, and what happens to him. You don't want his adventures to be clean and antiseptic. You want to see the dirt, and grime and blood. You want to feel every bone crunching moment of every fight. And when he unleashes the storm, you want to feel like you're seeing the power of a GOD at work ... But at the end of the day, he's a man. In the comics, Odin sends him to Earth because he's not perfect. He's brash, arrogant. Even over-confident. We all know that guy -- some of us have even been that guy. Stan Lee's genius was to give Thor-as-hero an emotional throughline we could all relate to, and knock him down a couple of pegs. So on that level, your question answers itself. The challenge is to dramatize that and make the audience see what the fans have known and believed about the character all along."

Of course, we know Thor has to connect to the larger Marvel universe and the future Avengers, and there's still not a lot of insight as to how they'll really make a God work with Captain America and Tony Stark. Miller mentions that many of "the references and connections" to the wider Marvel film world are out of the screenwriters hands, which is worrying. When asked about how the film would be divided between Earth and Asgard, Miller said the official Marvel description was a "pretty good idea of what the divide looks like." That, if you've forgotten, goes like this:

This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Meanwhile, Tom Hiddleston talked up Loki a bit to The Daily Mail. He initially tried out for the part of Thor (and rumors did connect him to the part for awhile), but Kenneth Branagh decided he'd be a better fit for Loki. Now here's where you can be glad the Shakespearean crowd is taking it on: "Loki's like a comic book version of Edmund in King Lear, but nastier ... Loki's skilled in black magic and scorcery. He's a shape-shifter and has all sorts of super powers from the dark arts. He can turn clouds into dragons, things like that." No godly workouts for this guy either, just the stage training. "Ken wants Loki to have a lean and hungry look, like Cassius in Julius Caesar. Physically, he can't be posing as Thor.'

So, there you have it. I'm not as familiar with the solo Thor as I should be (I was too busy studying real Norse cultures -- and look at which one I need now!), so I hope some of you can chime in on Mr. Miller's quotes.