Mar 17 2009 Natalie Portman Loves Thor?

Who will play Thor? Who will play Thor's arch-enemy, Loki? And who will play Thor's Kim Basinger character? These questions continue to plague us, but Deadline Hollywood has some new semi-answers:

...there's a big push to cast Josh Hartnett either in the winged helmet and/or as nemesis Loki...

...besides Hartnett, the following actors are being tested: Charlie Hunnam (the British co-star of the F/X series Sons Of Anarchy); Tom Hiddleston (award-winning British actor and RADA graduate who played Winston Churchill's son in HBO's The Gathering Storm), Alexandar Skarsgard (Stellan's son who has appeared in the HBO Iraq War miniseries Generation Kill and vampire drama True Blood, and who's definitely visually right for the role), Liam Hemsworth (offered a significant role in The Expendables after Sly Stallone saw his tape), and Joel Kinnaman (some Swedish-American dude).

Meanwhile, I'm told Natalie Portman is in the lead for the female lead.

Does Natalie Portman playing a female lead mean Thor has a love interest? I'm not that familiar with the Thor mythos, but I thought his only true love was the hammer Mjolnir. Maybe she'll end up being more of a Scully character to Thor's Mulder, where he's always insisting he's a Norse god, and she's like, "Thor, there are no such thing as Norse gods!" And he's like, "Then where did I get this sweet hat!?"

Mar 10 2009 Man Who is Obviously Already Thor Might Play Thor

Alexander Skarsgård, son of Stellan Skarsgård and recently seen in Generation Kill and True Blood, is rumored to be in talks to star in Kenneth Branagh's Thor. Apparently a sharp-eyed tip-person at Latino Review saw the actor and director (canoodling?) at a restaurant together, and later LR was somehow able to confirm Branagh had dined there at that time, hinting that the two might be discussing a collaboration.

What can I say that his being Nordic, 6'4", and long blonde-haired hasn't already? You aren't going to find anyone else who gives more of an irrepressible Adventures in Babysitting moment than this guy. Hypothetical casting: approved.