Screen Rant » thor

Chris Hemsworth Talks ‘Thor 2′; Mads Mikkelsen Circling Villain Role [Updated]

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:29:31 +0000

[UPDATE: Scroll Down to Find Out Which Actor Could be Playing the Villain in Thor 2.]

The glow of success is still shining bright around The Avengers - but that doesn’t mean the cast of the film is getting any rest. Robert Downey Jr. is already into production on Iron Man 3 with writer/director Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), while Chris Hemsworth is already gearing up for Thor 2, this time under the guidance of Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor.

With the Iron Man and Thor sequels speeding down the pipeline, the superhero movie rumor mill is already churning with speculation and about what is coming in “Phase 2″ of Marvel’s Avengers movie universe. While we know Iron Man 3 will feature a story about a nanotechnological virus unleashed as a terrorist ...

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Marvel’s ‘Avengers’ Movie Universe: Was it Worth It?

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:53:44 +0000

The Avengers is officially a record-shattering box office success - a film revered by millions of fans that even managed to impress a lot of those ‘snobby critics’ out there. Here at Screen Rant we gave the film a 4.5 out of 5 star review, and filled over an hour and a half of our Avengers Podcast Special with glowing praise for writer/director Joss Whedon’s blockbuster Marvel superhero team-up. No doubt about it: Avengers is a monumental success on many levels.

However, it’s important to remember the road that led to The Avengers as Marvel Studios enters the next phase of its shared movie universe, in the build up to The Avengers 2. A few years ago, we posed the question of whether the road to Avengers was being ...

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Chris Hemsworth Talks Loki’s Redemption & Hopes in ‘Thor 2′

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:11:51 +0000

Now that The Avengers has been unleashed on the viewing public and production is getting underway on the next component of the Marvel movie universe, Iron Man 3, fans can begin shifting their attention over to the various components being brought together and/or reuniting for Thor 2.

Expect more casting updates in the near future, along with information about whether or not side players like Heimdall (Idris Elba) and Sif (Jaimie Alexander) will indeed have expanded roles in Thor 2, as director Alan Taylor gears up to start production on the God of Thunder’s next solo adventure.

In the meantime, we can bring you up to speed on Chris Hemsworth’s thoughts about the Thor sequel – including the state of the Norse God’s relationship with his sibling Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in the aftermath ...

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Idris Elba Confirms His ‘Thor 2′ Return

Kofi Outlaw — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:46:00 +0000

As Marvel Studios enters into its bold new post-Avengers era, there will be a lot of moving parts to keep track of. In the coming years we’ll be getting new rounds of superhero solo films (starting next summer with Iron Man 3), and there are still some unconfirmed (but rumored) projects like Guardians of the Galaxy, which could introduce new heroes and villains into the mix – all leading up to another big showdown in Avengers 2.

Today we have a bit of casting news for Thor 2: Idris Elba, star of The Wire and upcoming projects like Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, will be back for his supporting role as Heimdall.

Despite a lot of controversy over casting a black actor in the role of what ...

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‘The Avengers’ – SR Underground Ep. 37

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:45:30 +0000

[Note: While this episode of the Screen Rant Underground (ep. 37) released on Monday, we wanted to bump the actual post to its regular Wednesday time slot - since we know some listeners have yet to subscribe in iTunes (what are you waiting for?) and come to the site looking for the cast each week. Just wanted to clear-up any confusion - in case you're seeing this article for a second time.]

The Screen Rant editorial team is back with episode thirty-seven of the Screen Rant Underground.

Join host Ben Kendrick as well as fellow SR editors Rob Keyes, Anthony Ocasio, and Kofi Outlaw as well as Screen Rant founder Vic Holtreman for this special edition of the Screen Rant Underground podcast as we review The Avengers and discuss what’s next for the Marvel movie universe – as ...

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‘The Avengers’ Post-Credits Scenes Explained

Rob Keyes — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:16:02 +0000

Fans of Marvel Studios movies generally know to stay to the end of the credits for a bonus scene, one that typically introduces a character or teases the next film in the franchise. The tradition began with Iron Man where Samuel L. Jackson infamously showed up in Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.’s) apartment and name-dropped The Avengers, a moment which laid the groundwork for the future of the franchise.

Every Marvel movie since (with the exception of The Incredible Hulk which moved its scene into the main film) has included some sort of tag/button at the end of the credits, but The Avengers (i.e. the biggest opening film of all time) included two; One during the credits and one special scene added after the credits which didn’t play until the film opened in ...

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Weekend Box Office Wrap Up: May 6th 2012

Niall Browne — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:01:28 +0000

The Avengers came. The Avengers saw. The Avengers conquered.

Joss Whedon’s big screen comic book mash-up broke records at the box office over the weekend and managed to score the biggest opening weekend EVER! That’s right – bigger than Harry Potter ($169 million) and bigger than The Dark Knight ($158 million). The Marvel movie should gross a mammoth $200 million by Monday morning! A fantastic number given the films $220 million production budget.

The film grossed $80.5 million on Friday, (second only to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2’s $91.1 million) kicking-off the summer season in spectacular fashion. The biggest Marvel hero opening was Spider-Man 3’s $151 million launch (it topped out at $336 million, a series domestic low) – but as he’s not part of The Avengers ...

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Pre-’Avengers’ Superhero Solo Film Recap – SR Underground Ep. 36

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:45:30 +0000

The Screen Rant editorial team is back with episode thirty-six of the Screen Rant Underground.

Join host Ben Kendrick as well as fellow SR editors Rob Keyes, Anthony Ocasio, and Kofi Outlaw as we chat about the new Dark Knight Rises trailer, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci hired to rewrite The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Fringe renewed for fifth and final season, as well as hold a pre-Avengers superhero solo film recap conversation.

Screen Rant Underground is available in the iTunes Music Store (where you can subscribe as well as download individual episodes) but if you’re not near your home computer, check out our thirty-sixth episode in the player below.

Also, Screen Rant Underground is an EXPLICIT podcast. We don’t go out of our way to say controversial things or use explicit language but it does happen – ...

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Before They Were Movies: Early Attempts to Bring Superheroes to Life Onscreen

Paul Young — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:39:05 +0000

Both DC Comics and Marvel would have you think that big-budget, blockbuster films like Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern and The Avengers are their only attempts to bring popular comic book characters into the live-action arena. They would like everyone to forget the sometimes absurd, ridiculous and often ugly reality: that there were numerous early – and failed – attempts to bring super heroes to both the big and small screens.

Over the next few pages you can read about these early superhero attempts and the actors who portrayed them on-screen. Some you may be familiar with, but we’ll bet you’ve never heard of many of them.

NOTE: This list doesn’t cover every instance of every superhero who has ever appeared on TV or ...

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‘The Avengers’ Video Interview: Tom Hiddleston On The Future Of Loki

Roth Cornet — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:37:54 +0000

When the sneak-peek scene that followed Thor made it clear that Tom Hiddleston’s fascinating trickster Loki would indeed return as the central villain in The Avengers, no one was more delighted than me. Well, alright, I imagine Hiddleston himself may have been more than a little bit pleased with the news.

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers does not fail the character that Hiddleston had initially created. It builds on Thor, and as the actor says “magnifies the menace” that is inherently a part of him. We had the opportunity to speak with Hiddleston about the shifts in Loki’s character in The Avengers, where he imagines him going in Thor 2 and if there will ever be a possibility for redemption.

Loki is one of the more interesting antagonists that we have seen in recent years. Firstly, Hiddleston is a tremendous talent who brings a remarkable sense of realism to ...

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5 Avengers Comic Book Stories to Read Before Seeing ‘The Avengers’ Movie

Ben Moore — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:29:30 +0000

There’s only one surefire way to be prepared for Marvel’s The Avengers come May 4th – and that’s by reading as many top-notch Avengers comic books as is physically possible in less than two weeks’ time.

But where, pray tell, does one start? After all, The Avengers (created by Stan Lee and Jack “The King of Comics” Kirby) is one of the oldest Marvel team books in existence, having been published for nearly half a century. Furthermore, the book has gone through several title changes, hundreds of different creative teams, and even more fictional members. It has been, on occasion, both brilliant and horrifically bad. So where does an interested reader begin his/her journey with five decades’ worth of comics to sift through?

Lucky for you, dear readers, we’re here to narrow down just some ...

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‘The Avengers’ Thor Extended TV Spot: It’s Hammer Time

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:43:17 +0000

Following on the heels of The Avengers‘ recently-released extended Captain America TV spot, we’re getting another extended spot, this time focusing on Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

Scroll down to witness the power (and sharp tongue) of The Mighty Thor, as seen in Avengers.

Thor arguably has one of the juicer and more developed story arcs in the film, as the primary villain The Avengers are facing is Loki, Thor’s (faux) brother. Loki unleashes havoc when he gets hold of the tesseract (the mystical cube seen in Captain America: The First Avenger) and brings an alien armada to Earth’s doorstep. The question – as featured in this TV spot – then becomes: What, exactly, is Thor willing do to stop his ...

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Screen Rant Goes to the 2012 BAFTAS (Winners List)

Niall Browne — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:10:19 +0000

Sunday the 12th of February 2012 saw the BAFTA Awards held in London. Screen Rant corespondent Niall Browne was on the Red Carpet to bring you coverage of the event, and fill you in on some behind the scenes action:

My BAFTA journey started with a train ride into central London, on a bitterly frosty morning. After meeting with a selection of members of the press, I was ushered onto the red carpet, having to walk the full length of the crimson material, past a selection of appreciative and adoring fans – yes, admittedly they weren’t there for a group of film bloggers – but were patiently waiting, hoping to catch a glimpse of some acting legends. I got to the press pen, took my position and waited.

Now picture this: the time was approximately 3pm, it ...

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Idris Elba Talks ‘Thor 2′, ‘The Avengers’, and James Bond Rumors

Sandy Schaefer — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:09 +0000

Immediately following his win at the 2012 Golden Globes ceremony, ubiquitous fan-favorite Idris Elba was hit up by journalists wanting to know more about his upcoming film schedule, which could possibly include both Marvel’s Thor 2 and The Avengers, as well as the James Bond franchise somewhere down the road (if rumor mongering is anything to go by).

Elba is currently back in Toronto, where he’s working on filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s anticipated sci-fi/giant monster movie, Pacific Rim. However, before he departed the Globes event, the English actor dropped a few tidbits about which upcoming movies he will for certain show up in – as well as which ones remain possibilities.

MTV asked Elba about whether or not he’ll be reprising his well-liked turn as the Guardian of Worlds, Heimdall, ...

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Jaimie Alexander Talks Sif in ‘Thor 2′ & ‘The Avengers’

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:23:29 +0000

Jaimie Alexander is an actress on the rise at the moment – thanks in large part to her role as Asgardian warrior Lady Sif in Marvel’s Thor last year. While Alexander has big things on the horizon – such as a starring role in the upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger comback vehicle, The Last Stand - comic book fans are likely more interested in her upcoming appearances in Marvel movies like Thor 2 - and of course, this summer’s superhero team-up, The Avengers.

Alexander recently spoke to MTV about both films, and talked a bit about where they might take Sif. On the Thor 2 front: the actress confirmed the news that Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor will be helming the Thor ...

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‘Thor 2′ Script Being Revised by ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Screenwriter

Sandy Schaefer — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:31:13 +0000

Marvel caused itself a bit of a headache when it let Patty Jenkins go as director of Thor 2, much to the (reported) chagrin of co-star Natalie Portman. The comic book studio’s previous actions had already attracted criticisms that it strives to maintain a distracting amount of creative control, which is the reason so many high-profile filmmakers have parted ways with the organization. Jenkins’ departure was just more fuel for that fire.

How then is Marvel going to improve the public perception of its Thor sequel, during these early days of pre-production? Well, apparently by hiring on a director who has worked on Game of Thrones, along with the man responsible for writing Saving Private Ryan to revamp the film’s script.

Longtime TV show helmer Alan Taylor was brought on to direct Thor ...

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‘Game of Thrones’ Director Alan Taylor Now Helming ‘Thor 2′

Rob Keyes — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:40:38 +0000

Three weeks ago we learned that Monster director Patty Jenkins would no longer be stepping into Kenneth Branagh’s shoes to helm Thor 2. Shortly thereafter, as more details poured out on situation, fingers pointed towards Marvel Studios as the source of the controversy, indicating that they had fired her from the job, much to the displeasure of Natalie Portman, who was an advocate of Jenkins getting the gig in the first place.

Jenkins marks yet another names joining the quickly growing list of directors separating with the studio over “creative differences.” Marvel, in a hurry to lockdown a replacement, reportedly had TV directors Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan on their shortlist, both of whom worked on Game of Thrones. As it turns out, one of them got the ...

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Patty Jenkins Possibly Fired From Thor 2; Natalie Portman Not Happy

Rob Keyes — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:37:31 +0000

While movie and comic books fans may be eager to return to theaters for the upcoming Marvel Studios movies, the same cannot be said for returning to the production side of things for some of the talent involved in making them.

We learned last week that after signing on to direct Thor 2, Marvel Studios and Patty Jenkins parted ways, bringing the number of directors who’ve dropped from a Marvel Studios project due to creative differences up to three in the last year. That’s quite a lot for a studio that has only released five of their own movies so far.

Patty Jenkins (Monster) had signed on to take over for Kenneth Branagh in helming the Thor sequel in October ...

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‘Thor 2′ Closing In on New Director & Writer

Kofi Outlaw — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:36:48 +0000

The saga of Thor 2 continues, with word that Marvel Studios is closing in on a director to replace Monster director Patty Jenkins, who dropped out of the sequel due to creative differences with Marvel (though, word is the studio will employ her talents on a future film).

Our own Rob Keyes reported on the increasing problems Marvel is having with its film directors, as Jenkins joins Thor director Kenneth Branagh, Incredible Hulk star Ed Norton, and Iron Man 1&2 director Jon Favreau in the camp of those who have worked with the studio, but ultimately left the fold due to what is suspected to be a creatively-stifling environment.

Indeed, the question that we’ve been mulling for some time now here at Screen Rant is how Marvel can ...

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Creative Differences Are Knocking Directors Out of Marvel Movies

Rob Keyes — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:15:36 +0000

Marvel Studios now has five movies under its belt, with a sixth coming next summer in The Avengers, two confirmed for 2013 and another pair of unannounced films scheduled for 2014. All of these movies exist in a shared universe, taking part in an ongoing continuity with an overarching storyline running congruently in the background.

While seeing movies follow the comic books in this respect makes The Avengers possible, this strategy does also have its downside as we saw most evidently in Iron Man 2. Each movie by Marvel Studios must follow certain guidelines and must include certain characters portrayed in a very specific way, thus restricting the creative freedom of the filmmakers and talent involved.

Combine this lack of creative freedom with ...

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