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There's big news from Asgard tonight! According to The Hollywood Reporter, the legendary Sir Anthony Hopkins has joined the cast of Thor. This isn't one of these tightly kept casting announcements either, as THR reports that he and no one else is playing Odin. (Incidentally, there's no mention of Robert DeNiro and Jude Law among the confirmed cast members, so I'm guessing that was just a fever dream of a rumor.)

If you're not up on your Thor or Nordic mythology, Odin is the father of Thor and the ruler of Asgard. He's your typical white-bearded god sort, fond of wine, women, and wisdom. He's not immortal (none of the gods of Asgard are), but ages slowly, and possesses amazing powers of strength and wisdom. He famously sacrifices his eye for the foresight to prevent Ragnarok, a sadly futile act, but you can't blame a god for trying.

While a lot of people were hoping that the Brian Blessed would be Odin (and my own money was on the recently signed Stellan Skarsgard), you can't really get much better than Sir Hopkins. He'll add just the right amount of gravitas, but he's an actor who can still have fun in a role. I can't wait to see him go up against Loki, and watching him smack down Thor for his arrogance is going to be pure theater. Cheers, Kenneth Branagh!

The week has ended without Thor fans finding out who Stellan Skarsgard is playing, but we have a hint as to who else might be appearing in Kenneth Branagh's film. SpoilerTV, who have stumbled on many a casting hint lately, have posted an alleged casting call for "Warriors." The requirements are stern, as befits residents and foes of Asgard: "A fearless warrior race, where size, strength and ferocity define a member's rank in both the social and military hierarchy. Warriors born in this society face the harshest ecological conditions imaginable and thrive in environments where lesser creatures, including humans, quickly perishes. Theirs is a world created to cull weakness from the universe to ensure their supreme sovereignty spreads across the stars. MUST BE 6'2 OR TALLER sptv050769, NO BODYBUILDER TYPES. SAG ROLE BUT NO LINES. MUST BE COMFORTABLE WEARING PROSTHETICS."

At the word "Warriors" my brain stopped, and I thought it was a casting call for the Warriors Three. But those three badasses are quite distinct personalities, and none of them would need prosthetics other than the extremely large Volstagg. It's clearly not them.

The key phrase here would appear to be "their supreme sovereignty spreads across the stars." Is this a casting call for the Skrulls? You can't really get any more militaristic and conquest driven than these guys, and one definitely needs prosthetics to pull them off. But what the heck would Skrulls be doing in Thor? Even Loki hasn't had much to do with those creeps until recently. The obvious answer would be to have them come in and set up The Avengers, but with two villains and two love interests, you'd think there was enough crazy to go around. Anyone out there have a better guess as to who our prosthetic-heavy warriors might be?

[via Superhero Hype]

We're entering into a frustrating trend with Thor news now. Excellent actors continue to sign on, but we have no idea who they are playing, which certainly keeps things interesting, but hurts when it comes to the geek discussions we could be having. The latest to reportedly join the cast is a Skarsgard, but not the one who you might expect.. According to Swedish news site Ystands Allehanda, Stellan Skarsgard has joined the cast of Thor in an unspecified role.

As you Thor fans undoubtedly remember, Stellan's son Alexander was in the running to play Thor. Skarsgard confirmed that he was so close as to have tried on the costume, and was one of the last contenders cut before Kenneth Branagh chose Chris Hemsworth. (Every episode of True Blood I see, I think Hemsworth has to be something really special if they cut Skarsgard, who would have been my pick.) If the elder Skarsgard is indeed part of the cast, I would like to be a fly on the wall for that family phone call.

Read the rest over at SciFi Squad

The gods of Asgard (or Marvel, if you prefer) have been largely deaf to the prayers of mere mortals, and refusing to reveal any deep dark secrets about Kenneth Branagh's Thor. But tonight, The Hollywood Reporter brings us some casting news that'll wind up the fans of the Thunder God. Colm Feore and Jaimie Alexander have signed on to join Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Natalie Portman.

The most exciting part of this news for me is Alexander, who gets to play the fierce warrior-goddess Sif. She was once a lass with golden hair (just like her "real" Norse counterpart) but Loki was jealous of her hair color, stole it, and replaced it with enchanted troll hair. Jerk. But Sif shrugged it off, picked up a big sword, and became one of the toughest warriors of Asgard. She also became Thor's lover, and while she accompanies other male Asgardians into battle, she also sticks by her Thunder Man. If you're wondering how he could leave such a kick-ass girl for a mortal like Jane Foster (who will be played by Portman), don't think too badly of Thor. Once he went mortal as Donald Blake, he became confused and convinced Jane was the reincarnation of Sif. Reportedly, Donald Blake isn't in the Thor movie, so perhaps they're just going with a standard love triangle, and Thor will have to chose between his mortal and (relatively) immortal girlfriends.

Feore's role is being kept a secret, and Marvel will only say that he's playing a villain. I'm going to just take a wild guess that he's going to play Mephisto, and that's just because of Sif and her love connection. But perhaps he's playing Surtur so they have someone to help Loki bring around Ragnarok. Your guess is as good as mine and since THR is reporting that not even the actors have seen the script, guesses are all we have to go on.

Agatha Christie had it figured out. Ten victims, one killer. Set it up, knock 'em down.

And while there's something to be said for simplicity -- writer-director David Twohy opts for three couples with two killers among them -- A Perfect Getaway can hardly sustain itself until the suspense can kick in. Unable to cut to the chase, Twohy takes his time and decides to get coy, and as it turns out, the only thing deadlier than a killer in a thriller is a screenwriter.

Those worried that Marvel's upcoming live-action Thor movie wasn't exactly bringing the star power like some other related superhero films should look no further than today's announcement that, as previously rumored, Natalie Portman has been cast as Jane Foster in the film, due in theaters on May 20, 2011. In the comics, Foster was a nurse who later became Thor's first love, but her character will be updated for the movie. Chris Hemsworth is set to play the title character, while Tom Hiddleston will take on the role of the villainous Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct with production slated to begin early next year.

Here's the synopsis that came with today's press release: Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of super hero: "Thor." 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.

What do you think of Natalie Portman in the role of Jane Foster?

Since I'm resigned to the fact that everything is going to be remade sooner or later, the best I can hope for is that at least studios will hire people who know what they're doing. On that note, there's a ray of hope for MGM's Red Dawn remake because Latino Review reports that Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) has been hired to do a rewrite. I've got nothing against the project's original scribe, Carl Ellsworth, but if I had to choose between the two, I would much rather go with the writer of those Bourne films than the writer of Disturbia.

Yesterday, it was announced that Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki will star alongside Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) in the tale of a group of teens turned militia men better known as the Wolverines. According to THR, Hemsworth will play the group's leader, Jed Eckert (originally played by Patrick Swayze), and Peck will be reprising Charlie Sheen's role as Jed's younger brother, with Palicki filling in for Jennifer Grey as the tough-as-nails fighter and love interest for Jed. In the original film, our heroes went up against invading Communist hoards, but for the update it has been changed from Communists to a more generic threat of Russian and Chinese military.

Now I've decided that I won't get worked up about a remake unless the movie was good in the first place, and unfortunately my love of Dawn is more about nostalgia than the film itself. But you can't deny it's become a little outdated over the years (is anyone that worried about Communist invaders anymore?) -- but Gilroy has a way with smart action films, so I'll remain optimistic that he can pull it off ... how about you?

Red Dawn is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2010.

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."

I didn't realize it until now, but it's probably a safe bet that everyone either likes Steve Zahn or Milla Jovovich. So someone was finally smart enough to stick them in the same movie as newlyweds being hunted down in David Twohy's A Perfect Getaway.

From the looks of things, I do hope that their Hawaiian honeymoon from hell skews closer to The Most Dangerous Game than Turistas, as the couple juggles suspicion between fellow travelers Timothy Olyphant (well, duh) and Chris Hemsworth (Kirk's pop from J.J. Trek, and a Josh-Brolin-in-No-Country doppelganger here).

Twohy demonstrated a knack with B-grade thrills with Below, Pitch Black, and The Arrival, so let's hope he keeps the streak alive and defies the shrug-worthy placement of any film on an August release date (and this after much previous shuffling to boot).

Getaway currently opens August 14th opposite roughly a gajillion movies -- Taking Woodstock, Ponyo, The Time Traveler's Wife, Bandslam, District 9, and others -- so if it (or Wife) flinches and gets put off, don't act so surprised. My suggestion? Counter-program against constant comedies on July 10th or Harry Potter on July 17th. We could use something tropical there...

Casting comic book characters is a tricky business. The better known the character, the bigger the minefield. That's why I think casting the (basically) unknown Chris Hemsworth as Thor / Don Blake, which Erik Davis posted about on Saturday, is a good bet. And once you've cast one unknown in the lead, you might as well get another unknown for the second lead, which is exactly what Marvel has done. Tom Hiddleston will play the trickster Loki, Thor's adopted brother and principal foe since childhood, in the upcoming film version of Thor. Sorry, everybody who was pulling for Josh Hartnett.

The news was broken by Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily shortly before Marvel posted their press release. Hiddleston previously worked with director Kenneth Branagh on the London stage production of Chekhov's Ivanov, and acted with him in the BBC mini-series Wallander. Now we have an unknown Australian and an unknown Brit playing Norse gods! Thor is not due out until May 2011, though, so that should give the actors time to become better established. Hemsworth is currently filming The Cabin in the Woods, due for release next February, and also snared the lead in the Red Dawn remake, which should be out in September 2010. And it's likely that Hiddleston will show up in something else before Thor as well.

Casting unknowns / lesser knowns as comic book characters sometimes works (Christopher Reeve in Superman) and sometimes doesn't (Brandon Routh in Superman Returns). What do you think? Will Thor's unknown leads help or hurt the film?