Thor Has Been Cast

Chris Hemsworth will carry Mjolnir and the heavy burden of the Marvel comic adaptation of Thor on his shoulders. Not a big name in North America, Hemsworth gained most of his fame for his 171 episodes of Home and Away and recently played George Kirk, the father of James Kirk at the beginning the new Star Trek film.

Screenwriter Mark Protosevich has developed a script for the live-action Thor film. Described his plans for it "to be like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god". In December 2008, Kenneth Branagh confirmed that he has been hired to direct the film. Branagh stated that he hopes to begin filming in January 2010. The film has a scheduled release date of May 20, 2011.