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.

Oct 31 2008 Final 'Valkyrie' Trailer Makes Hitler Assassination Fun

Here's the final trailer to Valkyrie, the Bryan Singer-directed, Tom Cruise-starring historical thriller about a German assassination plot against Hitler. The film looks well made, but I can't help but feel a lack of tension knowing that the plot fails (thanks for the spoilers, history). I hope, to keep things interesting, there's a second, "or what if THIS happened?" ending where we see the plan succeed and Hiter gets blown up. You know, just something tasteful, like the fuhrer sees the bomb and is like, "Ooooohhh shiiiiii--" and then you see an explosion as Tom Cruise rides up on a horse, Hitler's mustache floating gently in the sky (like that CGI feather in Forrest Gump), and Cruise says, "Let's get the heil outta here!"

Maybe for the DVD?

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Nov 8 2007 'Valkyrie' Trailer Showcases Smug Cruise

Man, I knew Tom Cruise had gotten pretty smug after acquiring a fake wife slave and a perfectly genetically-engineered infant, but I figured we'd hit a smugness plateau. It turns out, as the trailer for Valkyrie shows, it wasn't even close.

But what could possibly make Tom Cruise act more arrogant than sucking the soul from a promising young actress, breathing it into a fine porcelain doll, and parading around the results like a real family? Little more than a Nazi uniform, an eyepatch, and a sharply-parted and gelled perm.

Thankfully, such self-importance actually works for the role, in which Cruise plays a Nazi convinced he can take down Hitler and his regime with the help of Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, Bill Nighy, and others that make Cruise look like the spring chicken he recalls in his daily viewings of Top Gun. Bryan Singer might have a winner on his hands.

Valkyrie Trailer [Yahoo!]

Sep 5 2007 Full Cast of Valkyrie as Hitler-Killing Hopefuls

For those out of the know, Tom Cruise has recently taken some time away from ruining the life of his young bride to make a movie about a group of conspirators plotting to assassinate Hitler. These conspirators were particularly significant because they were comprised of German noblemen and officials, and their plans were more feasible than my android army idea. Above is the main cast, comprised of Cruise, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Kenneth Branagh, and, seated at left, the German equivalent of Howie Mandel. To get the full effectiveness of the image, print and tape inside a bathroom stall.

Tom Cruise and his conspirators [Daily Mail]