Four-time Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh has built his career acting, directing and writing adaptations of William Shakespeare’s plays. It should come as no surprise then that lots of heads turned when he was the man tapped to direct the $150 million blockbuster adaptation of “Thor.”
But don’t let his past credits fool you – Branagh is a self-proclaimed lover of Stan Lee’s hammer-weilding hero. As he told Hero Complex’s Geoff Boucher, “growing up my single comic book passion was Thor, from my time in Belfast as a kid, that’s the first time I came across that comic. I don’t know why but it struck a chord. I was drawn to it. I liked all the dynastic drama.”
Drama certainly followed Branagh when Australian Chris Hemsworth was cast as the title character. Besides a few brief scenes in 2009′s “Star Trek,” Hemsworth is unknown to American audiences, and “Thor” will serve as his major introduction. Good thing he has broad shoulders.
In late March, Hemsworth made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas and talked to the Los Angeles Times about not fitting into his costume, and, go figure, Shakespeare.
If early reviews are any indication, Branagh, Hemsworth and the rest of the cast should all be able to breathe easy when the movie opens on May 9. As we get closer to Thor’s hammer dropping, here are three clips to get you ready.
‘Taser’ – After being banished to Earth from his realm of Asgard, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings find a disoriented Thor lost in the desert where Dennings is the quickest to react.
‘Hospital’ – Recovering from that taser attack, Thor wakes up to find himself in a hospital bed, a position he is not pleased to be in.
‘You’re Big’ – Thor’s banishment to Earth also separates him from his source of power, his hammer. In this scene we see him fighting to get it back. But more importantly, if you pay close attention, you can see a quick shot of Jeremy Renner’s character, Hawkeye.
