Marvel presents the epic adventure, ‘Thor,’ which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the centre of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Kenneth Branagh directs this fantasy epic which stars Chris Hemsworth as the ancient Norse god, Tom Hiddleston as his chaotic brother Loki, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, a young woman who befriends Thor on Earth, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor’s father and king of Asgard. ‘Thor’ is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray in the US, and September 26th in the UK. Check out what Natalie Portman had to say about the film below.

What was it like stepping into something with such a huge fan base already ingrained?

Natalie Portman: I think one of the interesting things about the ’Thor’ comic books is that they were written over several decades, with several different writers and artists, so there’s very different stories, very different tones, very different artwork, very different places the characters go,  very different depictions of the characters. The challenge, more for the writers than for us even, but for the writers and for Kenneth Branagh as the director, is finding one tone, choosing which of the stories to tell because obviously all of these are sagas that have gone on for decades and whether to include certain characters or add others, which details to keep and which details to spare. It’s great to play characters that people are so passionate about already, to enter this universe where people are so devoted to these characters, it’s really lucky.

What was it about ‘Thor’ that initially sparked your interest?

Natalie Portman: To be honest I wasn’t really a big comic book fan growing up, I did get more into graphic novels when I did ‘V for Vendetta.’ When I started work on ‘Thor’ I went back and started reading as many comics as I could. I got into this when I knew Kenneth Branagh was directing, I just thought it was such an amazing idea, to have someone like him doing this kind of movie, it seemed like such an interesting and unexpected combination. It was such an interesting project, Kenneth was at the centre of that.

How was it working alongside Chris Hemsworth in this breakout role for him?

Natalie Portman: Chris Hemsworth is just so wonderful, he’s such a talented actor, he really worked hard to create this character. Even though it was one of his first big parts he was so confident without every being cocky, just a really good person. It was very easy and fun to work with him. He’s not showy or show-offy in any way, but he’s able to walk into a room with Kenneth Branagh and act his pants off and not be intimidated, and is able to shoulder this responsibility of taking on this huge character with incredible grace. He has his feet firmly planted the ground, such a kind guy and just a decent human being. He’s universally nice to everyone, genuinely nice, very funny. I have no doubt that he’ll be a massive star. It was fun to watch him work.

You’ve said how Kenneth Branagh was a key component for you joining this film, how was it actually working with him?

Natalie Portman: Ken was amazing, he’s so smart and so funny. It was really special to get to see how seriously you could take the acting in a movie that a lot of other directors might not pay attention to, in what was going on in the scenes. It was great seeing how that affected the final product – when you put that much energy as a director into these very specific relationships between the characters. He is such an incredible actor and director for actors, it was a very different experience too, just having someone give such attention to character and performance on a movie of this scale. Ken is a master, an absolute master. With a movie of this size, it’s very easy to get lost in needing to do special effects, cover all of this action. People often forget characters, so never for one second did he let that go, he was ALWAYS focused on that. And then between scenes he would tell us great funny stories and interesting titbits and anecdotes. We’d always learn something on set.

For Thor, Jane Foster is sort of the bridge to Earth and humility.

Natalie Portman: Oh yeah, I definitely think that’s part of her role in ‘Thor.’ It sort of grounds him. He’s exiled to earth to learn humility, I think her earthiness is part of, hopefully, what transforms him. There are definitely changes in the character from the comic books, but that is certainly one of the things that has stayed.

Marvel presents the epic adventure, ‘Thor,’ which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the centre of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Kenneth Branagh directs this fantasy epic which stars Chris Hemsworth as the ancient Norse god, Tom Hiddleston as his chaotic brother Loki, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, a young woman who befriends Thor on Earth, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor’s father and king of Asgard. ‘Thor’ is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray in the US, and September 26th in the UK. Check out what Chris Hemsworth had to say about the film below.

The physical demands of the role aside, how did you as an actor approach the role of Thor? Did you look into the comics, or did you pay more attention to the mythology, like the actual Norse mythology, or did you find a way to combine both? What was important to you when taking on this role?

Chris Hemsworth: I started with the comic books, but I didn’t read all, however many of them, there are thousands of them, forty or fifty years worth. But I certainly read enough to get a sense of who he was and the world he was from. Then I read some things on Norse mythology and this sort of fatalistic view they have that everything’s pre-ordained and that leads the Vikings into this fearless sort of attitude in battle and with their lives. They certainly back their opinions – they’re not swayed easy. And that spoke volumes to me about the character. But then it was, you know, you fill your head with whatever information and research you have. But on set it was just about making it truthful and finding a way, a simpler way that I could relate to it. Instead of thinking, ‘How do I play a powerful god?’ It became about, scenes between fathers and sons and brothers. You personalize that and that helps ground the story for an audience. And then we can relate to it and hopefully an audience can too.

There’s this great competitive relationship between Thor and Loki in the movie, how important was it to nail that core relationship?

Chris Hemsworth: We had a great time working together. Sometimes you get lucky and you work with people you get along with, that just makes it an easier process, easier to find the little hooks into the relationship. Me and Tom Hiddleston both know what it’s like to have siblings and have that rivalry and we had so much fun sort of playing around with it.

How did you find the green screen acting?

Chris Hemsworth: We were very fortunate, there was actually far less green screen than I think people would imagine. We had these beautiful big sets that we were on and could interact with and be a part of. The smaller piece of green screen that we had, we thankfully had Kenneth Branagh to fill us with a visual and a very vivid picture of what was going on. But it is a whole other skill, it’s a very sort of numbing feeling being on green screen, the hum of the lights, everything’s very hypnotic, you need to really bring your energy up. It’s different to being on a set where big glaciers have been built, or in a big throne room, you really feel like you’re part of that world.

How much does wearing the costume help when getting into character?

Chris Hemsworth: It helped a hell of a lot. I remember first putting the costume on after having read the comic books for the previous six months and imagining how I was going to play this guy and convincing yourself and everyone else that this is what it was going to be. The costumes were so incredibly detailed, plus they sold such an image that when you put it on you REALLY feel like the character. It certainly makes our job easier, it makes you stand different, it makes you walk different, and it was just another layer to add on and work with.

How intimidating was it to be faced by Anthony Hopkins in full God-like mode?

Chris Hemsworth: (Laughs) Walking into this, the idea of standing opposite Anthony Hopkins in God-like, regal outfit, and he has that quality in my mind in every film, was intimidating. But I’ve gotta say the moment I got on set and met him I couldn’t have felt more supported and comfortable. He’s extremely collaborative and kind, he has a great sense of humour. He has a great passion for filmmaking and story-telling, a number of times he’d just turn to me and say, ‘Isn’t this great? Isn’t Ken wonderful?’” That was the vibe on set, it was such an enjoyable experience.

This is a movie about a hero, did you have a favourite movie hero or superhero when you were younger?

Chris Hemsworth: Yeah. I think Superman was probably the very first one I was aware of and, you know, I would run around the house pretending to be him, at some stage when I was a kid (laughs). I also had a Robin costume, Batman’s sidekick, which is a nice pair of green underwear and a yellow shirt and red cape.

I mean, growing up my parents were my heroes, you know, and my dad, in the way they conducted their lives. My dad works in child protection. He’s spent man  many years in that line of work. And as kids, our experiences shape our opinions on ourselves and the world around us, that’s who we become as adults, because of that experience. So yeah, he’s certainly been my hero. You know, in movies, I think the idea of a heightened reality and then the fantasy that we’re able to be swept up in, and then these larger than life heroes and the possibility of someone much more powerful than we are and greater that can come and save the day, so to speak, is inspiring. And it’s the people who put themselves on the line and sacrifice their own safety for the greater good and for others. I think anyone in any sort of profession who, their concern is the welfare of other people instead of individual, I think that is inspiring and important.

Marvel presents the epic adventure, ‘Thor,’ which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the centre of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Kenneth Branagh directs this fantasy epic which stars Chris Hemsworth as the ancient Norse god, Tom Hiddleston as his chaotic brother Loki, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, a young woman who befriends Thor on Earth, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor’s father and king of Asgard. ‘Thor’ is set for release on DVD and Blu-Ray September 13th in the US, and September 26th in the UK.

How did you get involved to play Loki in this Marvel Universe, first off with ‘Thor’?

Tom Hiddleston: I was actually in a play with Kenneth Branagh in London, it was Anton Chekhov’s very first play, Ivanov, we were both acting in it. It was announced that Kenneth had got the job directing the film, and I was dressed as a Russian doctor from the 19th century, with a waistcoat, pocket-watch, a pair of wire rimmed glasses, and a goatee beard, and I went up to his dressing room with a massive empty water cooler, pretending it was Mjolnir and pretending I was Thor. We he saw me he said to me, ‘don’t joke, you never know,’ (laughs). Then cut to four months later I was in LA, I got called into audition, then further down the line I got the part, after about four months of auditioning and screen-testing, trying to impress people (laughs).

How was that working with Kenneth Branagh as a director?

Tom Hiddleston: He’s just amazing, he’s such an inspiring leader apart from everything else. If he’s nerdy about anything, he’s nerdy about films, he just loves movies, he loves acting, he loves the process of making films, discovering different facets of it. For me the great pleasure, having acted alongside him, when you’re acting with someone – and I say this of Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins as well – it takes such a degree of trust and mutual respect. You’re showing sides of yourself that you’d never actually show to people. Having acted with Kenneth we had that trust and respect, I felt very supported and trusted by him. He was asking me to go to some very extreme emotional places as the character of Loki, in understanding he knew the challenges was a big help. His handling on drama, and comedy, and spectacle, it’s just bar none.

What are your thoughts on Loki as a character?

Tom Hiddleston: In Norse mythology Loki is the God of mischief, Thor is the God of thunder and Loki is the God of mischief. He’s the prankster, the trickster, the agent of chaos, he’s the guy behind the curtain pulling the strings, the puppet master, causing bad things to go down. But he’s also Thor’s brother, Thor’s adoptive brother, he’s very much second banana in the pantheon (laughs). There is this fascinating psychological complexity to him, sure he’s the trickster God, but there’s a latent jealousy within him that is covetous of his brothers role in the universe. He wishes he had the love and affection of his father Odin. He feels rejected, betrayed, lied too and alone, I think it’s all of those things, those very relatable human emotions, that complexity, which really gives him his credentials as a bad guy.

What is it like transforming into Loki with ‘Thor‘ and now with the ‘The Avengers‘?

Tom Hiddleston: It’s such a physical transformation, I was born with Gene Wilder curly blonde hair (laughs), so I have to dye my hair black, straighten it. Then putting the costume on I feel bigger and broader, you stand taller. But the emotional complexity of it, it is really…..it sounds pretentious to say it but acting is about the extension of compassion, and like playing any part, I had to think of what would it be like to be someone who’s whole life had been a lie, who’s father possessed a number of very very dark secrets about your history, and then suddenly you find those things out. The revelations that are made to Loki, they’re such huge secrets that come out of the woodwork. I really think that fuels the fire in a way. I just had to put myself there, it’s all an act of imagination really.

Marvel and director Kenneth Branagh present the epic adventure, ‘Thor,’ which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has a profound effect on Thor, as she ultimately becomes his first love. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Check out what Kenneth Branagh and Anthony Hopkins had to say about the film below.

What attracted you to the role?

Anthony Hopkins: My agent phoned me and said “would you like to work with Kenneth Branagh,” I replied “Yeah,” he said “they’re doing Marvel, they want you to play Odin.” I knew he was the father of all gods, so I said “ok, why not.” Then I went to meet Ken, he gave me the script and said “if you’d be interested I’d like you to read it.” He’s such an engaging personality, a brilliant man, I said “you’ve got me, whatever you want me to do.” So I read it and phoned him back I said “I’d love to do it.”

He was the main attraction for this, he’s a superb actor himself, he’s a wonderful actor and also a wonderful director. He’s got that rare ingredient of not only being a great actor, but also a great director, I because think he has no fears, he just does it, breaks all the rules. It was the best time I’ve had on a film in many years.

How was directing Anthony Hopkins in full God-like mode?

Kenneth Branagh: He told lots of great war stories about his time as a young actor, basically, because his first film performance was ‘Lion in Winter,’ when he was about 30 and he was on-screen with Katharine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole and Timothy Dalton and he was just talking about his first time in films. He loved seeing the Chris and Tom at the beginning and these great careers that they’re about to have. That was exciting.

What is it like working with Kenneth?

Anthony Hopkins: When you work with people like Ken, there’s no work involved. The impressive thing with Ken is that he’s the governor, he’s the captain of the ship, that’s the best way I can put it, I sometimes call him governor because you watch him walking around the set and he’s so authoritative, but not in a pompous, big-headed way. He’s got a great sense of humour, great sense of passion, great human drive, he has a great philosophical insight into life. He inspires people, he certainly inspired me. He gave me back my (long pause), confidence, made me feel I had my chops still, made me feel I can still do it. I was beginning to feel a little jaded over the last few years, thinking I should just put my feet up and relax. He pushes you to the nth degree and I think that’s what he does with everyone. He never does it with malice, it’s always getting the best out of people, it’s fascinating watching him work. I think that’s the overall impression of this whole experience, it was fascinating.

How important was it to nail the relationship between Thor and Loki?

Kenneth Branagh: Well we felt that in terms of the approach, the approach was three-fold. It was to definitely be on a contemporary Earth, to bring this story to Earth and to bring humour to the story and then to both create characters and cast it with a kind of detail in the characterisations and in the execution that was as real as we could be. It’s a relative reality in a comic book movie but I think what works very well is when the boys, who’ve done wonderful jobs in it, I think, catch your breath by the intensity with which they feel things. So when you’re rehearsing with the two of them and Anthony Hopkins and talking about that dynamic between two rival-some boys and a father who is demanding, and you’ve got some scenes that can take the intensity and passion that can spring from some of those challenges, it felt as though that would be part of what distinguished the film and make it a little different. We could do that in the drama depending on who we cast and how they did it, and I think they both did a fantastic job.

How easy do you find it to mix your careers as an actor and as a director?

Kenneth Branagh: I try and follow my instinct, I try and listen when I have an opportunity to choose, which isn’t always, but when I do, I try and listen for the instinct of what I think will make me feel passionate and engage me and I follow that and work out. It’s not a question of “oh, I’ll direct” or “now I’ll act” because life doesn’t work like that, it’s just where does one’s sort of artistic instinct take one? And it’s still taking me to both places. Actually as an actor, one of the most exciting things is working with Chris, Tom and with the rest of our cast, that’s wonderful. There’s actually a great thrill in watching how other people do it. They always do it differently and it’s great to learn from these guys and I unquestionably have, and from the more established members of the cast like Anthony and Natalie. As an actor it’s a great privilege, and it actually sends me back into acting with fantastic relish and ready to steal everything that I’ve learned from these guys.

In Marvel’s thoroughly enjoyable epic adventure flick ‘Thor’, Tom Hiddleston stars as the sly and manipulative brother of the titular character. Check out what Hiddleston had to say about the film below. Look out for Thor swinging his hefty hammer at a cinemas in both 2D and 3D now in the UK and May 6th in the US.

When did you first become aware of Thor?

Tom Hiddleston: As a child I actually had a deck of Marvel top trumps. You can get top trumps with racing cars, or fighter planes, or football players, I had all of the Marvel superheroes and super-villains in a deck, I used to play them with my friends. They were all listed according to their height and weight and agility and their super-powers and Thor and Loki were in there. So that was my introduction. Loki would always lose if it was about strength and weight. But if you picked agility and intelligence and, strangely, super-powers, he would have the edge (laughs).

The relationship between Thor and Loki is a such a core element of the film?

Tom Hiddleston: Yeah, I think warring, competing brothers are just intrinsically, inherently, dramatically interesting. It doesn’t matter if it’s Kane & Able back in The Bible, or it’s Edmond and Edgar in King Lear, or any story really where essentially you have two opposing forces who are competing for the same thing. In this case, it’s the love and affection and pride of their father. What’s great about the two characters is that they’re both enormously gifted. Thor is powerful and noble and strong, physically athletic and the leader of the pack, Loki is fiercely intelligent, he’s a strategist and a master of magic, so the two of them together are a force to be reckoned with. Going up against each other is a whole other thing. I should also add that, as an actor, it’s much easier to be really nasty to someone that you really like. You can’t really ask for that, you can’t buy that, and Ken (Branagh) must have seen something that made him think the two of us would get on, or something. When we first met, I remember the three of us came over and Natalie Portman was also there and while Ken was talking to Natalie we were despatched by Ken to go and train together! Chris had me lifting tree trunks and logs to impress her (Laughs).

Coming from a theatrical background, are there any similarities between stage acting and green screen acting?

Tom Hiddleston: At the very end of the film when the two of us are fighting on the Rainbow Bridge in Asgard, this shining city in the sky, it’s very difficult for location scouts to go and find those two things (laughs)! So the two of us were in a green screen warehouse and quite often because of the position of the camera, and I’m doing all kinds of crazy things which really should be under special skills on my CV, like self-duplicate, disappear, re-appear, fly through the air – there were some times where Ken needed the camera to be in a particular position, moving in a particular way, to give a huge dynamism and vitality to the shot. In actual fact it meant that a lot of the time I’m looking or speaking to Chris (Hemsworth) and he couldn’t actually be there because that would mean him hanging from the ceiling in the most uncompromising position unknown to man. You sort of have to light some kind of bonfire underneath your imagination. Often nstead of Chris, it might be his double, more often it’s a tennis ball, or even a coloured mark of cello tape next to the lens on the camera. Acting is all about imagination anyway, it doesn’t matter if you’re on stage, or on TV or on film, you’re imagination is working overtime and the great thing about having Ken do it is that he was always on hand with a microphone, quite often literally painting the picture on our behalf. So, in Yodenheim, the ice planet, we’d be walking along brilliant sets of ice flows, surrounded by green screen, and Ken would be there saying “To your left, there’s an ice tower crumbling into pieces, to your right there are shadows, frost giants could be coming out of those at any time. You’re excited, you’re freezing cold, you’re terrified! Beyond you is a plaza…”

You’ve worked with director Kenneth Branagh before on stage and on TV. Now he’s your director in this movie, how did that dynamic change?

Tom Hiddleston: Acting is a bit like tennis in that you can’t really do it on your own. Also acting takes a degree of mutual trust and respect, so over the years of doing Wallander and Chekhov’s Ivanov in the West End we’ve exchanged a few words (laughs)! It’s actually a huge privilege to be directed by somebody who I felt so known, understood and trusted by, or trusted in rather. Ken was asking me to go to some pretty extreme places from time to time emotionally and it’s always nice to know that the man behind the eye, behind the lens, behind the camera is someone who knows what it’s like to go to those extreme places in performance and sometimes how challenging that is, but also somebody who is just very supportive and trusting. It was a huge privalige.

How much does wearing the costume help when getting into character?

Tom Hiddleston: I think if you get up in the morning and you put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, you feel like going to the beach. But if you get up in the morning and you put on a breast-plate and a back-plate and a cape and a horned helmet, you feel like striding around an enormous palace (laughs). Alex Byrne, who designed the costumes, did the most extraordinary job because they’re so faithful actually to the hyper-real, almost unreal quality of the comic book costumes. Not only do they look right and look great, but she was able to design costumes that we could fight in, we could run in and roll around in the snow in. The great challenge was actually having a loo break, at least we could knock ten rounds out of each other!

By the beard of Zeus. By the power of Greyskull. By the hammer of Thor, the epic adventure follows the story of  the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has a profound effect on Thor, as she ultimately becomes his first love. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Thor is Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Check out what Chris Hemsworth had to say about the film below. Look out for Thor swinging his hefty hammer at a cinemas in both 2D and 3D April 29th in the UK and May 6th in the US.

When did you first become aware of Thor?

Chris Hemsworth: It was pretty much when I got the part, six months before I received a stack of comic books. I knew vaguely a little bit about the character, I wasn’t sure where from. I probably knew more about the Viking/Norse mythology sort of section of it all. But when I got the part it was about educating myself and going through all the books.

There’s this great competitive relationship between Thor and Loki in the movie, how important was it to nail that core relationship?

Chris Hemsworth: We had a great time working together. Sometimes you get lucky and you work with people you get along with, that just makes it an easier process, easier to find the little hooks into the relationship. We both know what it’s like to have siblings and have that rivalry and we had so much fun sort of playing around with it.

How did you find the green screen acting?

Chris Hemsworth: We were very fortunate, there was actually far less green screen than I think people would imagine. We had these beautiful big sets that we were on and could interact with and be a part of. The smaller piece of green screen that we had, we thankfully had Ken to fill us with a visual and a very vivid picture of what was going on. But it is a whole other skill, it’s a very sort of numbing feeling being on green screen, the hum of the lights, everything’s very hypnotic, you need to really bring your energy up. It’s different to being on a set where big glaciers have been built, or in a big throne room, you really feel like you’re part of that world.

How much does wearing the costume help when getting into character?

Chris Hemsworth: It helped a hell of a lot. I remember first putting the costume on after having read the comic books for the previous six months and imagining how I was going to play this guy and convincing yourself and everyone else that this is what it was going to be. The costumes were so incredibly detailed, plus they sold such an image that when you put it on you REALLY feel like the character. It certainly makes our job easier, it makes you stand different, it makes you walk different, and it was just another layer to add on and work with.

How intimidating was it to be faced by Anthony Hopkins in full God-like mode?

Chris Hemsworth: (Laughs) Walking into this, the idea of standing opposite Anthony Hopkins in God-like, regal outfit, and he has that quality in my mind in every film, was intimidating. But I’ve gotta say the moment I got on set and met him I couldn’t have felt more supported and comfortable. He’s extremely collaborative and kind, he has a great sense of humour. He has a great passion for filmmaking and story-telling, a number of times he’d just turn to me and say “Isn’t this great? Isn’t Ken wonderful?” That was the vibe on set, it was such an enjoyable experience.

Did knowing there was going to be The Avengers movie affect how you played Thor in this film?

Chris Hemsworth: When I came on with Thor there was, yes certainly the knowledge that we would have Avengers in the future. But no, it didn’t affect the way I was playing Thor. Thor was certainly what I had right in front of me, and in order to develop Thor and to use him in Avengers it became about what I had right there and then.

By the beard of Zeus, by the power of Greyskull, by the hammer of Thor – Marvel/Paramount Pictures have put together this fantastic advert, ‘Little Thor’, which replicates the brilliant Darth Vader VW ad that ran during the Super Bowl in Febuary. Check out both of the adverts below. ‘Thor’ features a bumper cast in Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg and Colm Feore. Look out for Thor swinging his hefty hammer at a cinema in both 2D and 3D April 29th 2011 in the UK, and May 6th 2011 in the US.

Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the epic adventure, “Thor,” which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has a profound effect on Thor, as she ultimately becomes his first love. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Thor is Directed by Kenneth Branagh.

In a recent chinwag with D23 Magazine (via IGN), Marvel studios president Kevin Feige spoke on the future of the Marvel Universe on the big screen, dropping quite a few hints with regards to what the studio has in the works:

“Thor will go off into a new adventure,” says Feige, “and Captain America will continue to explore the modern world in another film of his own. We hope that holds true for the characters appearing in that film — Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the spy organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. — all of whom are more than worthy and capable of carrying their own films. And, we’ve got a lot of other characters we’re prepping and getting ready for film debuts: the world of martial arts, these great cosmic space fantasies, Dr. Strange, and the magic side of the Marvel Universe. There are many, many stories to be mined.”

From the sounds of it look out for a both Thor and Captain America sequels along with Black Widow, Hawkeye, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Dr Strange stand-alone flicks. ‘Thor’ is set for release April 29th 2011 in the UK, and May 6th 2011 in the US. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ comes to cinemas July 22nd, 2011 in the US, and July 29th 2011 in the UK. The Avengers’ hits cinemas May 4th, 2012. ‘Iron Man 3′ is scheduled for a 2013 release.

By the beard of Zeus, by the power of Greyskull, by the hammer of Thor – with films release date fast approaching Marvel have released another clip from the flick via Yahoo, featuring Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard vising Thor at the hospital. ‘Thor’ features a bumper cast in Hemsworth, Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg and Colm Feore. Look out for Thor swinging his hefty hammer at a cinema in both 2D and 3D April 29th 2011 in the UK, and May 6th 2011 in the US. 

Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the epic adventure, “Thor,” which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has a profound effect on Thor, as she ultimately becomes his first love. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Thor is Directed by Kenneth Branagh.

“A GOD WILL FALL. AN AVENGER WILL RISE.” Marvel (via IGN) have let out the hatch this new clip from Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Thor’ – seemingly giving us our first (brief) look at Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. The upcoming comic book adaptation stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg and Colm Feore. Look out for Thor swinging his hefty hammer at a cinemas in both 2D and 3D April 29th 2011 in the UK, and May 6th 2011 in the US.

Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the epic adventure, “Thor,” which spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and is forced to live among humans. A beautiful, young scientist, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has a profound effect on Thor, as she ultimately becomes his first love. It’s while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Thor is Directed by Kenneth Branagh.