Thor has a Director

In an interesting turn of events, Kenneth Branagh has been in talks to direct Marvel’s live action adaptation of Thor. This movie will be a part of the announced Avenger series of movies culminating in the Avengers movie projected for release in 2011. Marvel will again self finance this movie like it did with Iron Man and Hulk and will only need to select a distributor.

Kenneth Branagh joins other arthouse directors such as Ang Lee, Jon Favreau, Christopher Nolan, and Gavin Hood in turning a revered comic book icon into a big screen phenomenon.

If this is true, this would be a masterstroke for Marvel. Kenneth Branagh is one of those unique individuals who understands adapting literature for the big screen. Okay, I know that Thor is a comic, but its still literature. If Kenneth Branagh were younger, he’d make a great Thor. A Shakespearean director/actor is perfect for Thor. And any actor chosen to play Thor would benefit greatly from Branagh’s guidance. What do I know about Branagh? I know that Dead Again, Frankenstein, Hamlet, and Othello are some of my favorite movies of all time. And anyone who had a high school literature teacher worth their salt has seen Henry V, which is the best Shakespearean work turned into movie. I am a little biased because Branagh is one of my favorite actors.