The Avengers EDIT:- First Movie in history to make $200 Million in opening weekend

[_____V_____]

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.

[_____V_____]

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.

[_____V_____]

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.

[_____V_____]

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?

[_____V_____]

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.

[_____V_____]

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.

[massacre man]

Originally Posted by _____V_____

his walking stick became his mighty hammer after he tapped it on the ground.

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

[cheebacheeba]

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

[Doc Faustus]

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.

[neverending]

I bet he would!