Nikkie Finke reported yesterday about the upcoming Thor film and how Marvel and director Kenneth Branagh are facing a big challenge in trying to cast the lead character. In her report, she lists some of the candidates in the running to wield Mjolnir and become the God of Thunder.
Interestingly, she also points out that they are considering Josh Hartnett not only for the role of Loki, the God of Mischief, but to play The Mighty Thor himself. Now, I can see him giving an interesting performance as Loki but my suspension of belief doesn’t extend to him playing Thor.
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While there’s some desire by Marvel to see Hartnett or another recognizable actor to play Thor, there’s also a lot of interest in casting an unknown. Personally, I don’t know which would be best for this movie but I liked the idea of casting a relatively unknown actor like Alexander Skarsgård (who was rumored to be Branagh’s leading choice last week).
So, now we have a list of candidates (or shall I say…contestants) who are in the running to play our favorite Asgardian Avenger. Let’s see what they’re all about:
Josh Hartnett
Our first contestant enjoys reading, writing and long walks on the beach… Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Josh, our obviously most famous candidate, is 30 years old, 6′ 3″ and was born in San Francisco, California. Josh has starred as the lead in many feature films including Pearl Harbour, Lucky Number Slevin and Hollywood Homicide.
Josh was rumored last week to be sought after to play Loki in the Thor movie, it is now said he is being considered for Thor.
Liam Hemsworth
Liam is an Australian actor who doesn’t have a large acting resume as of yet. He is best known for roles on the two television programs, Neighbours and The Elephant Princess. Liam has upcoming appearances in next month’s Alex Proyas movie, Knowing as well as a rumored role in Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables.
Tom Hiddleston
Tom is 6′ 1½” and nearly 28 years old. He hails from London, England and played a role in the Wallander miniseries which starred Kenneth Branagh as the lead character, police detective Kurt Wallander – Now we get the connection.
Charlie Hunnam
Charlie stands 6′ 1″ and turns 29 next month. Born in Newcastle, England, Mr. Hunnam and has had roles in some big movies such as Children of Men and Cold Mountain. Charlie made his mark in the business with his starring role alongside Katie Holmes in the 2002 thriller, Abandon.
Joel Kinnaman
There’s not much information on the web available for Joel but we do know that he is a Swedish actor, 29 years old who hasn’t yet starred in any North American films or television.
Alexander Skarsgård
Son of actor Stellan Skarsgård and both our tallest and oldest candidate, Alexander also hails from Sweden, is 32 years old and stands 6′ 4″. Alexander is growing rapidly in popularity for his role in HBO’s Generation Kill and his current role in HBO’s True Blood as a 1000+ year old vampire who sports the same hairstyle as Thor.
Alexander was also spotted in a meeting with Kenneth Branagh last week, which sparked rumors of him being the director’s first choice to play Thor.
That’s it for our contestants – My personal pick goes to Alexander Skarsgård whom I thought was a good pick when the rumors first surfaced last week. There was some feedback however, saying he was small or skinny which I believe is entirely untrue – just look at the following image of him as Eric Northman in True Blood.
Now imagine giving him another two years to workout for the role.
Out of the candidates, Alexander is the tallest, oldest and the largest. He also hails from a Nordic country and has the natural hair and look. I don’t think it gets better than that.
As for Josh Hartnett, I can in no way see him as Thor but I do like him as Loki.
What do you think of the candidates and who should Kenneth Branagh cast?
Thor opens in theaters June 17, 2011.
Source: Nikkie Finke
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181 Comments
Alex is the chosen one! I´m swedish and I can guarantee he is a both complex, charmful (as in with subtle wittyness) and thor-ish, lad-ish character with the power of thor. he even has a tad of the somewhat bimbo-ish that always has been a tread of thors character in norse folklore, he is like the strong (in a good way) and powerful god, but with a strike of taking himself to much seriously with gives it a comic relief. He is perfect. and I dont even think he is goodlooking.
and he acts great in so many ways, not just one-dimensional.
Thank you for the Swedish perspective, ul!
Alex is a terrific actor. Check out his performance as Sgt. Colbert …. not a spec of bimbo-ish behavior there. LOL
He just exuded competence, command, restrained emotion (as was appropriate) and intelligence. As Eric the vampire, he exudes a good deal of menace, as well.
Hope we get Alexander Skarsgard as Thor!!!!! (And I do think he’s good-looking!)
LOL, check it out…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfIEGYhjkdU&feature=related
Thor is supposed to be a GOD. Just because this guy is 6′4 and blond doesn’t make him Thor. He is skinny and has no muscle tone (meaning cuts). Give me a break. Use this casting opportunity to your advantage to find an unknown that people can get excited about. I don’t want to see MeEkuS/a vampire play Thor. Yuck.
What is a MeEkuS? Since you don’t want to see a vampire play Thor then his acting must be pretty good. It’s his character, not him. Looked at the Essentials Thor? The character on the front of the book bears a resemblance to him. And, who’s to say what he looks like under the clothes, he may be more cut than you know!
Alexander Skarsgaard played ‘Meekus’ in Zoolander. I am sure that Alexander is a good actor, but he is not Thor physically. The essentials: Thor needs to be at least 6′6” and built like a superhero/god. He is neither. And I there are actors out there that are. What Alexander has is blond hair; anyone can bleach their hair (and wear contacts if need be).
dont’ like him do we…oh well everyone has their own thing
@irina
So i’m guessing you hated Lou Ferrigno has the Hulk, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Jack Nicholson as the Joker (actually I did) or any actor that has played Batman. Cause you know, NONE of them physically looked like their comic counterpart…
actually i like Lou Ferrigno. i love Hugh Jackman in anything. i haven’t seen the Joker. physicality is a small part.
I may just be a hopeless fangirl but I think Alex’s body is more than adequate.
I have provided some evidence of this
http://yfrog.com/0nhundtricket1j
http://yfrog.com/0nhundtricket2kj
http://yfrog.com/0nhundtricket3j
A little more bulk for the role would be nice perhaps but otherwise I don’t see how any one could have a problem with him physically.
i’m with you haxxai.
Thank you, Manowar.
What actor has ever looked close to the comic book hero – especially before they were chosen for the part? That’s part of what it means to be an actor. The actor works to become the character when the time is right. Alexander looks closer to Thor than any other actor as he is; he just needs some more muscle.
Right now he stays as lean as possible for his role in True Blood. Although, on screen as vampire Eric, he doesn’t look thin at all.
Thank U, sweetwater. You expressed it better than i ever could.
The actor can work all he wants to be to become the character. But in the case of Thor, where he is built like a god, someone like Alexander has too small a frame to ever achieve what is necessary to pull it off physically. It will look terrible. Terrible. Put someone like James Preston Rogers next to him and Alexander will look meek and goofy. You don’t train for a year to develop a body like Thor, it is a lifelong commitment. The reason Arnold worked as Conan is because he was a god among men. Marvel needs to achieve the same thing here. Find a god, a warrior, a true viking.
And if you don’t like JPR, how about this guy–Matthew Meyers: He is 6′6” 245lb, a great unknown actor living in Los Angeles..
http://yfrog.com/03mmeyers0011j
All I am saying is there are actors out there built like Norse Gods that should be considered.
irina, I understand your passion for securing a particular look for Thor. But don’t you imagine that people who make their living as casting directors have been hard at work to find the actor who can play Thor?
They probably know more actors, wrestlers and athletes than we ever could. They spend their entire careers just building a base of referrals. They build their reputations on finding the great unknown actor – or the right person for the part. Producers and directors rely on their expertise.
Perhaps some of these people you suggest have already been reviewed or tested for the part of Thor (and other characters). It takes a whole lot more than size to carry a multi-deal, special effects movie. There seems to be no appreciation for actors among many of you. LOL
Skarsgard isn’t small nor small-framed. But he is a terrific, charismatic actor. He is capable of the subtlety required by a close-up. He hasn’t, as far as we know, been chosen yet …. it’s been a long process of getting The Mighty Thor to screen and I bet many, many men have been considered.
I loved the Conan books and was happy when the film came out. I accepted Arnold in the part because no one asked me if I’d prefer someone else. I would have happily traded some of his size for more acting ability – any day. He was hard to watch.
Funny thing is that the strongest man I know personally is not the biggest man I know, although he is a former body-builder. The strongest man I know is a stuntman, oddly enough. He can’t allow himself to get too bulky because he would get less work – he has to look like the actors from afar … or up close with his face obscured.
Doubt that Marvel would want to dilute their Thor by not being impressively sized. But I bet they would love for Thor’s appeal to be enhanced beyond the comic book crowd. The right casting can do that.
You know, it’s funny that you say “built like a god” …. though I know what you mean. A god has supernatural power. He/she doesn’t really need developed muscles. Often the god of the Jews and Christians is depicted as fatherly and elderly – not buff.
I think the depiction of muscles are supposed to evoke the idea of youth and virility in the human psyche. All things considered, being a god should have nothing to do with it. Don’t you think?
For us, as mammals, size matters. “Built like a god” may by an oxymoron, in a way. LOL But, yeah … Thor’s gorgeous.
Hum…Alexander Skarsgård maybe a good choice…way better than Hartnett, but I have a gut feeling they’ll have to work harder to find a Thor…maybe within headbanger (metal) comunity, the’re lots and lots of Thor’s hangin’ around
))
Personaly, i’d choose some guy relatively unknown…
My personal vote goes for Jared Padalecki…google the guy!
irina talks exactly like Daniel F, strange. James Preston Rogers, meek, it’s all there. lol
Cool!
Thanks for the chat!
AS A WOMAN Alexander Skarsgård would DO IT for me..I would DEFINATELY see Thor if it was him. Watching him in True Blood, and then in Generation Kill shows he can change characters very well. Besides, he has the right background for it and can throw in some language to boot like he does in Trueblood. Alexander as Thor would get this Marvel girls blood hot with one brooding stare!!!!!!
id loved to seee jared padalecki as thor… i know, i know, he is not blond and he is trapped in that supernatural crap…im sorry, i just want to see him nude and out of that boring tv show.
Lauren, as much id like to see Padalecki nude too, I was thinking about other things too when he came into my mind…such as he is a good actor(although Jensen Ackles is way more talented than him)and really a very BIG guy…the production credibility of the movie and so on…Blondness can be arranjed…
No, Supernatural isn’t boring, there’s always action, blood and gore every week there…its a more intelligent TV series than most people is accustomed…
“there’s always action, blood and gore every week there…its a more intelligent TV series than most people is accustomed…”
I’m not sure you’re scoring points with your logic here. Action, blood and gore doesn’t really equate to an intelligent show. How is it intelligent please?
It’s well written …there are episodes that are really very funny and clever,but it can be also bloody, gory and always on the move…sounds better now for you…forgot the “and” on the last sentence of the previous comment so it would be like “and its a more intelligent TV series than most people is accustomed…””,which it is.
Solly, engrish is not my 1st language.
PS.:Just put the scandinavian guy as Thor, hes way better than Triple H anyway.
see ya.
ooohh, i know this is not the place, but…. well, i apologize in advance for the following:
I have friends that love supernatural, and very frequently, i find that supernatural fans believe that if someone doesn´t like their show, it is because it is considered too childish.
I don´t like supernatural, but I don´t consider it childish. Sometimes I watch the show to see the actors, and I know the winchesters brothers are extremely complicated people (both of them, specially dean with mental issues he should deal with, like for example, the unhealthy codependent love he feels for his “little bother”); both brothers complicated enough to make the show interesting to see once in a while.
The reason I don´t like supernatural is because of the background stories: the lack of originality is tiring, the events are too predictable, the horror effects are poor, etc. I admit that some case/episodes are more boring than others, and that two or three per season are really good, but that is not enough.
Am I unable to see the parallel between the brothers’ life and the background “apparently silly” story of some episodes? No, I see the parallel, sometimes it is very well done, but the episode is still boring.
Regarding padalecki´s acting skills, i don’t want him to be thor to see his acting skills, because i´ve already seen them in supernatural (btw, as an actor, he is equally good as ackles, the only difference is that ackles has a very well organized fan base devoted to “spread the word” that he´s awesome; for me, both of them, padalecki and ackles, are equally good, both of them sometimes are OVERLY melodramatic).
Anyway, I would like padalecki to be thor because i think currently, he is one of the most attractive male bodies on tv (tall, big, huge, not extremely bulk muscles), and yesterday i don´t know why, i thought that thor would have to be almost nude in the film, but now i am not sure, does thor wear a custom?
Ps. I used to think that the hair color was not an obstacle to play a character, but after “Alexander, the Great” things changed.
Sorry, if i bother posting this comment, i have to, i don´t mind if people think that i am just interested in beautiful male bodies and not in acting skills, i don´t mind; but i don´t want to give the wrong impression that i don´t know about padalecki´s acting skills, because that would be unfair to him as a young actor).
Geez, if nothing else Thor will be successful just from all of the women who will see it. It’ll be the Titanic of comic book movies. We all know that chick flicks are automatically double their target audience since women will tell their husbands or boyfriends to watch a movie they don’t want to watch alone but boyfriends/husbands can’t tell their girl the same. So basically guys are forced to watch every crappy chick flick but if a girl doesn’t want to watch a movie we want to watch, they’ll refuse to go and send us to go watch it by ourselves, lol.
I’m not saying Thor will be a crappy chick flick, but it looks like there will be a large number of chicks that are interested, which means their guys will be dragged to it regardless of if they are interested in a Thor movie, then add the guys that ARE Thor fans, this movie should be huge, lol.
Ken J,
I am a woman..and yes I will see Thor, and yes even more so if Skarsgard is cast because while I do like his looks, I have seen him in Generation Kill and if you take time to watch it you will see he is more than Mekkus and Eric the Northman.
But I do not see Thor because of whom is cast, but because I am a comic book reader and a huge Marvel fan. I do not FORCE my husband to watch crappy chick flicks…I force my husband to watch Action movies such as X-men, Spider Man, and Ironman and he is always amazed at how much I know on the subject. Oh I knew Jean Grey was coming back as the Pheonix at the end of X-men II with the shadow under the water.
I also play WOW, and do not choose to play some mealy laughing human mage, but a dark elf warrior who can take care of herself. Princess Leia was my inspiration as a child…not because she was a princess, but because she took care of the situation and didnt take crap off of other.
So please dont be shallow and group all women into the type that take their men to “chick flicks”…or we might all think men are shallow pigs who think of nothing but boobs and phalic items
Oh come on, do you really think Titanic was such a huge success because GUYS were flocking there to watch it on their own accord???
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