May 2011 will see Spider-Man 4 pitted against Thor at the box office.

Variety reminds us that Spider-Man 4's May 6, 2011 release date is a mere two weeks before the May 20 opening of the Kenneth Branagh-directed Thor.

So why is this significant? Isn't a month of two Marvel movies better than not?

It may be for fans, but let's face it: Sony's Spidey 4 is the bigger movie that will most likely be the film to beat that summer. It is a proven commodity, a commercial sure thing. That can't be said for the Marvel-produced, Paramount-distributed Thor, which will surely find itself compared, fairly or not, to the box office performance of Spidey 4.

Marvel has a lot riding on Thor, which will -- along with The First Avenger: Captain America -- help set-up the Avengers movie that's due out in 2012. What does it mean for The Avengers, or any of Marvel's long-term plans for those franchises, should either or both Thor and Captain America under-perform? (By the way, Captain America opens a mere two months after Thor on July 22.)

Disney's pending acquisition of Marvel certainly gives the latter company a financial safety net should its game plan of self-produced movies leading up to and culminating with The Avengers fall short of expectations. But the question remains if there isn't more going on (studio politics-wise) behind this game of chicken between Sony and Marvel's comic book movies than is immediately apparent.

Marvel obviously profits regardless of which film comes out on top that summer, but a dominant Spider-Man 4 in summer 2011 might make Marvel's self-produced films seem like weaker commercial prospects by comparison.

Alexander Skarsgård who plays Eric in True blood would be a great choice - he has the size and looks and not a bad actor.

Or They could get around the size issue for Pitt by casting midgets in ever other role.

Director Kenneth Branagh has cast two more actors in his forthcoming adaptation of Marvel Comics' Thor, which starts filming early next year.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, those actors are Jaimie Alexander (Kyle XY, Rest Stop) and Colm Feore (24, The Chronicles of Riddick).

The trade says the 25 year-old Alexander will play "Sif, a skilled Asgardian warrior who can hold her own against any man. She also is one of Thor's loves."

But what's more interesting is that they claim "Feore's character is shrouded in mystery -- the studio isn't even sending the actors the script -- though it is known to be a villain."

Wonder who it will be...

I'll admit that I'm not too familiar with Thor's baddies beyond Loki...but I'm still pumped to see Colm Feore in the cast. Such an overlooked actor; he's wonderful in everything he does.

Anyone more familiar with the rogues gallery have any guess who he might play?

From my understanding, isn't Loki a woman now?

I've heard that myself...a quick bit of research seems to show that he is, in the comics at least, now a she (using the body of Sif, apparently). Very, very strange.

Still, it seems they'll be keeping him a dude in this version...unless Tom Hiddleston needs to tell us something, I suppose.

Thor doesn't really have a traditional rogues gallery as such - I mean his thing is Asgard and the more mythic realms etc, the rest of the time he's on earth, he's usually helping out with the avengers and their more heavy hitting villains, or the Hulk...lotsa times the hulk.
The rest of the time it's Loki and his machinations, giants, dragons, that kinda shit, along with Loki periodically manipulating other Asgardians against him?

Has anyone said the villain specifically isn't Loki?
I mean he's pretty much the definitive "villain" to Thor, and would serve well for an origin tale perspective (both sides would be cool) and at least could be the instigator of a bigger threat?
Not to mention, the guy looks like he *could* quite easily work as Loki.

Loki is confirmed, and has already been cast: Tom Hiddleston.

_V_'s post implies that there's going to be another villain, to be played by Colm Feore.

If they weren't going for younger actors, I think he would absolutely be a great Loki. But that was announced months ago...I'm rather intrigued who he'll be playing because, like you said, Thor doesn't really have a typical assortment of villains.

Could be the absorbing man?
I mean he's bald, he's previously absorbed some of the power of the mjolnir and faught Thor a fair few times? I mean if it's an Earth-bound villain they're looking at?

He could also be Skurge or Malekith.

According to Swedish news site Ystads Allehanda, Stellan Skarsgård is the latest actor to join the cast of Thor.

Which character the Scandanavian actor will play is shrouded in mystery, though whatever the role, he'll certainly look the part of a Viking.

Skarsgård has popped up in the likes of Angels & Demons and Mamma Mia!, but is probably most familiar for his role as Bootstrap Bill in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Chris Hemsworth is already signed on to play Thor, Natalie Portman is Jane Foster and Tom Hiddleston is Loki.

Thor will be released in May 2011.

Jon Favreau has confirmed that he'll be executive producing The Avengers, Marvel's 2012 superhero team-up, but has flatly discounted rumours that he'll be directing. "You need somebody who has the perspective of all the different franchises to bring them together," he told MTV. "I have the myopic vision of just knowing and loving Iron Man."

He also confirmed that Edward Norton won't be in it as The Incredible Hulk.

Not that much confirmation was needed, but the actor had recently been quoted as saying he thought the green behemoth would make a good Avengers adversary, leading to a certain amount of speculation that he was open for returning.

Anyway, back to Favreau: "I'll definitely have input and a say," he says, "but they'll have to find a different director. It's going to be hard, because I was so involved in creating the world of Iron Man and Iron Man is very much a tech-based hero, and then with Avengers you're going to be introducing some supernatural aspects because of Thor. How you mix the two of those works very well in the comic books, but it's going to take a lot of thoughtfulness to make that all work and not blow the reality that we've created."

If the current rumors pan out then the big-screen version of Marvel's Thor may have added some more star wattage to its cast.

Ain't It Cool News points out an interview that German actor Matthias Schweighofer (Valkyrie, FearDotCom) did with the German edition of GQ Magazine wherein he claims to have won an unspecified role in Thor.

Not only that but Schweighofer also says that none other than Robert De Niro and Jude Law are in the movie as well.

Their roles also weren't specified.

Thor director Kenneth Branagh previously directed and co-starred opposite De Niro in Frankenstein, and he directed Law (a self-proclaimed comic book fan) in Sleuth.

In related news, Collider recently chatted with Stan Lee who confirmed that he's met with Branagh about doing a cameo for Thor, but doesn't know the details of it yet.

Also, during an interview with Movieline, actor Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia, The History Boys) revealed that he's up for a role in Thor, but that nothing is final yet. The site speculated that he could play the role of Fandral, one of the Warriors Three.

So, if this rumor is true, who do you think De Niro and Law might play in Thor?

Deniro, probably an elder Asguardian, or Volstagg, that would be funny...
Jude Law... a decent character would be Balder...but then, he's a BIG guy, perhaps Fandrall (he could look the part, Fandrall looks like the "prettyboy" asgardian)...if they bring current storylines into it, maybe the human character Bill, though he's a little more rugged than I think Law could feasibly pull off...

Marvel Comics Editor in Chief Joe Quesada showed up at the Big Apple Comic-Con in New York City this past weekend, where he of course was asked about the slate of upcoming movies based on Marvel characters.

While Quesada's involvement in the Marvel film biz is surely limited -- he runs the comics side of things, after all -- he does have some inside info on the developing projects. Here's what he had to say about The First Avenger: Captain America, which he said sets up The Avengers in "a fantastic way."

"I've seen a couple of outlines and an initial screenplay, and it's going to rock everyone's socks off," he reports, according to Comic Book Resources. "It's very unexpected, the kind of movie it is."

Quesada added that there's an undisclosed wish list of actors to play the title character. He also talked about how some of the Marvel characters work better in live-action than others, citing Blade as a character who seems to succeed in film more than on the printed page. That led to a question from the audience about maintaining continuity -- that ever-important fanboy device -- between films, to which the EIC responded that Marvel's current lead-up to The Avengers is proof that it can work.

"It won't be the same exact continuity from the comics, but it'll feel very much like the Marvel continuity," he says.

A buddy of mine who usually knows his stuff when it comes to things like this told me today that Chris O'Donnell has been confirmed for Captain America. Sounds like more rumor mill to me - dug around a bit online and can't find much of anything.

Any of you guys heard this? Normally I'd write it off immediately, but I can usually trust this guy.

... Robin?

That'd be the one. I'm not completely sold on the idea myself, but at least he'd be better than Channing Tatum or something.

Still, I haven't any reason to believe this is legit, so we probably don't have to worry.

The Mighty Thor may finally have found his father, with the news that Anthony Hopkins is in talks to play the one-eyed Norse Allfather Odin (aka Woden, Wotan, or if you're a Neil Gaiman fan, Mr Wednesday) in Kenneth Branagh's mythic Marvel epic.

Maybe he's had his enthusiasm for big-budget Hollywood reignited with The Wolfman, or maybe it was Branagh's involvement that persuaded him, but either way, it'll be great to see Hopkins back in a blockbuster, and he joins a stonking cast which, you'll know by now, also includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki (Odin's other, adopted son), Natalie Portman as nurse Jane Foster, and Jamie Alexander as the Lady Sif (plus Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury and Stellan Skarsgard in a still unspecified role).

As portrayed in the comics, Odin ought to be considerably more dressed and less drunk than Hopkins' turn as King Hrothgar in Beowulf. You need a clear head to wield the Odinforce.

Yes, you've got to admire the eclectic cast that Branagh is building around Marvel's Norse god hero. And if the rumours that Robert De Niro, Colm Feore and Jude Law have signed on ever turn out to be true (though that's looking increasingly unlikely), we can't wait to see this lot in action…

With a bit of a Bulk up - Eric would be good:

http://thingsididntbuytoday.files.wo...c_northman.jpg




http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...er-BGsmall.jpg
DownLoad it here

Ed Norton has once again been grilled about the future of the Hulk and Avenger movies, and once again he doesn't sound that enthusiastic or hopeful about his future involvement.

The Incredible Hulk star was speaking to Aint It Cool and had this to say about the state of the franchises: "I'm not even sure deep inside the minds of Marvel how they are planning to string that stuff out, but I don't think any of if is imminent, I don't know."

Norton also said that he would only get involved again if Marvel came up with some interesting ideas: "Things like that to me are always completely dependent on what they make of it. It's like anything can be the crappy version of itself or the great version of itself and if it's the great version of itself, then that's one thing. If they don't get it right, then I don't know, then I think… A lot of it depends on what they come up with."

The Avengers is currently pencilled in for a May 2012 release, and a sequel to The Incredible Hulk has not been green-lit, yet.

The god of thunder is ready for his close-up.

Production Weekly tweets that Marvel Studios' Thor movie will begin filming mid-January in Los Angeles. Production on the Kenneth Branagh-directed film will then shift to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it will reportedly lens from March till late-April. Marvel's L.A. base is at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach.

The 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.

Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) will play the title role. The cast also includes Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jaimie Alexander as Sif, and Colm Feore in an unspecified villain role.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce Thor.

The film will be released in the U.S. on May 20, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The ranks of Asgard are just about full!

Marvel Studios reports that the Warriors Three will be joining Thor in all of his frosty battles, and as usual, Kenneth Branagh has done a bang up job with the casting.

Stuart Townsend, Tadanobu Asano, and Ray Stevenson have joined the cast as Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg, respectively. Ray Stevenson, last seen in Punisher: War Zone, Battle In Seattle's Stuart Townsend and Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano, probably best known for Mongol: The Rise Of Genghis Khan, have signed up to play the Asgardian adventurers who fight alongside Thor in the film.

The official announcement comes on the heels of Zachary Levi revealing to USA Weekend that he had been cast as Fandral, but was forced to drop out due to an extended Chuck workload.

Filming begins in January 2010, and from there it'll just be one big geeky countdown.

Another day, another cast member for Kenneth Branagh's Marvel Comics blockbuster Thor.

Earlier this week: The Warriors Three (Stuart Townsend, Ray Stevenson and Tadanobu Asano).

Today: Heimdall, who'll be played by The Wire and The Office (US) star Idris Elba.

Heimdall is the brother of Sif (Jamie Alexander) and the guardian of Asgard, who stands sentry on the "rainbow bridge" Bifrost, the only way in or out of Chez Odin. He's super-strong and super-fast, and has super-senses that allow him to hear Earth from Asgard (and indeed "to detect the fluttering of a butterfly's wings a thousand worlds away"). He wears excellent armour, and likes an edged weapon, especially his enchanted sword that allows him to assume mortal form.

Weirdly, for someone on the same side, he's given to battling Thor. In his earliest appearances he battled Thor to prevent him entering Asgard, then again to prevent him leaving, and there have been numerous spats since. All about the battling then, but basically, he's on the side of the gods.

Once again, interesting casting, for an actor best known for his scheming and verbose turn on The Wire, and less recognisable for being a badass (although he was in Buffalo Soldiers and RocknRolla). But this cast keeps on impresssing. Who next, one wonders?

If the cast of Marvel’s Thor continues to swell at its current rate, pretty soon there won’t be an actor on Earth who won’t have some sort of part in it. Even Joe Swash might get the call at some point.

That’s because, hot on the heels of the news that the godlike Idris Elba has signed on to play the ungodlike Heimdall (because he’s, well, an actual god), Kat Dennings has also come on board, joining the already-cast Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Stuart Townsend, Jaimie Alexander, Jedward, Jermain Defoe and the cast of the West End production of Inherit The Wind.

No word yet on who Dennings, the lovely and talented indie chick who lit up Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist with her deadpan charms, will play in the Kenneth Branagh-directed epic, but the rumour mill has her playing an assistant to Portman’s Thor-snogging scientist, Jane Foster. In fact, Portman herself let slip the news about Dennings’ casting in an interview with MTV News. The scamp.

But while we’re here, let’s throw another bone onto the rumour fire – what if, just what if, Dennings has been tapped to play sinister villainess The Enchantress? Now that we’d like to see. But on a production as secretive as Thor, we probably won’t know for sure until it comes out on Blu-ray.

As the Thor casting rumours rumble ever onwards, there's one thing fans of the comic-book hero have been dying to learn: whether his alter-ego, Dr Donald Blake, will be appearing in the movie.

The partially disabled doctor was Thor's Earthly persona after he lost his powers and was stranded here with no memory of who he was.

After a while, he came to realise that he could transform between the doctor and the god whenever he wanted. In the comics, his walking stick became his mighty hammer after he tapped it on the ground.

Thanks to a movie source having a little whisper in the ear of Ain't It Cool News, however, it looks as though there'll be no hammer-tapping for us.

The source has confirmed that most of the film's action will be set on Earth rather than the lofty realms of Asgard, but in this treatment, Thor retains his powers and Blake isn't needed.

Should the writers have gone with the comics, or their judgement on this big-screen reboot is justified? Only time will tell.

I'm not a Thor reader but... Does that seem... inconvenient to anybody else?

You mean like, if it was actually a walking stick, wouldn't Blake be "activating" Thor by mistake all the time?
...I'd thought of that...ha
but yeah he's kinda gotta more like SMASH it on the ground

And it is an act of will instead of like everytime it gets tapped on the ground. I'm pretty certain, for example, if Billy Batson were watching Gomer Pyle and imitating him saying "Shazam!", he would not turn into Captain Marvel.

I bet he would!

I wonder why Gomer Pyle never accidentally became Captain Marvel, a superhero I kind of like. Acronym powers are pretty badass.

He wasn't Billy Batson!

You'd think the wizard would have chosen an adult who already said Shazam instead of a child for whom it seems kind of forced.

Billy was pure of heart!

I wish I had a magic acronym. I'd use it to to rid the world of Nicholas Cage. Wicker Man, Bad Lieutenant, Bangkok Dangerous and possibly the Fly? If I found me a wizard, even Uncle Frank couldn't save that bastard.

He's not that bad ALL OF THE TIME.

I liked him in Wild at heart and Kiss of Death alot.

He was decent in alot of others - Red Rock West, Bringing Out the Dead and Adaptation. He's also in my top 5 of actors who played Fu Manchu...

Granted he has made just shit lately but there are definally other actor deserving more hate..

Is Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans that crap - I seen another member give it an a great review?

But he was in Raising Arizona. :(

Cage is a great actor who's gotten a bit lost.

He definally has a poor choice in scripts lately for sure but yeah he's definally an actor I like..

Isn't he supposed to be in talks for one of Sean's movies?