Kenneth
Branagh on Thor?
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Okay,
so he probably won't cast himself... |
Variety
reports that Marvel Studios has almost finished negotiations
with noted actor/director Kenneth Branagh to steer their
god of thunder to theaters June 4, 2010. This really does
have to be close to a done deal, unless Variety has decided
that it has to compete with online sources and give play
to all sorts of rumors.
Nah,
let's buy into this one.
Perhaps
best known in theatrical circles for his ongoing Shakespeare
work, Branagh in fact would have to wait a little while
before starting because of Shakespeare. After directing
and starring in a 1996 film version of Hamlet,
he's got a stage version opening in London later this year,
starring Jude Law in the title role.
He's
got the chops for the faux-Shakespearean dialogue
Marvel's Asgardians spout, which is likely somewhat preserved
in Mark Protosevich's screenplay. And Branagh plays around
with material in interesting ways, sometimes successfully
as in Dead Again, and sometimes with spectacular
flame-outs, such as Love's Labour's Lost.
At any
rate, he's always at least interesting, clearly a move Marvel
wants to make. Rather, they want to continue making after
seeing the success of Jon Favreau on Iron Man,
Sam Raimi on Spider-Man and Louis Leterrier on
The Incredible Hulk.
Will
we be putting The Mighty Thor in the same category?
Verily, I shall put my money on Branagh.
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