Series: Thor

Related Links

0

Verily, 'Thor' doth have yon new director

Marvel continues to attach in interesting director choices to its slate of movies. The latest? Kenneth Branagh is negotiating to direct 'Thor', according to Variety.

Branagh, while a distinguished director, is not known for the kind of big-budget, F/X-laden fare that Marvel movies generally are. Indeed he's best known for making highly-entertaining movies based on Shakespeare.

But fans can look towards his debut movie 'Henry V', a gritty war movie based based on the bard's play, as a preview of what a great 'Thor' movie might be. The Shakespearean language in that film was delivered with such mainstream movie zeal that you can almost imagine Thor's "thou"s and "dost"s coming across with equal clarity and intensity.

On the other hand, his one attempt at a genre adaptation, 'Mary Shelly's Frankenstein' was pretty much a critical and box office flop.

Branagh is also a gifted actor and, while the trades don't mention him being part of the movie's cast, his Iago in the 1995 'Othello' film isn't too far removed from Thor's Loki.

So is this the next Jon Favreau, coming up from indie comedy to do big budget action? Or will Branagh be the next Ang Lee? We'll find out when 'Thor' is released in 2010.

What do you think about Kenneth Branagh directing 'Thor'? Post your comments below!