EXCLUSIVE: Chris Hemsworth Is 'Thor'

May 16, 2009 1:12pm

Services to share this page.

MONDAY UPDATE: Marvel Studios Casts UK Actor Tom Hiddleston As ‘Thor’ Nemesis Loki

EXCLUSIVE: Talk about spot-on casting. I’ve just learned that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and director Kenneth Branagh have chosen their THOR — and it’sChris Hemsworth, who can currently be seen as “George Kirk” in J.J. Abrams’Star Trek reboot and also just snagged the lead inRed Dawn for United Artists on Thursday. (He’s currently filming Joss Whedon’s horror flickCabin In The Woods for UA, and I heard the studio was so hot on him that it cast Hemsworth in the action pic.) The 25-year-old Australian hunk is a virtualunknown here in the United States. But he played “Kim Hyde” on 171 episodes of Home and Away, the successful Oz TV series where Heath Ledger started. Hemsworth is repped by partner and co-founder William Ward at ROAR management and agent Ilene Feldman. Marvel Studios has scheduledThor for a May 20, 2011, release.

The way Chris Hemsworth got the part of Thor is one of those great Hollywood backstories that happens only once in a blue moon. Ward had found Chris during one of the manager’s many scouting trips to Australia. Ward brought him to Los Angeles and really put him out there to casting directors and production executives. As for the major agencies, I hear CAA passed on the meeting, Endeavor took it but passed on repping him, and ICM was interested but dragged their feet. But Ilene Feldman understood his appeal immediately.

Chris had read for the part of Thor but wasn’t given a test because a casting director had nixed him early on. I’m told Chris’ younger brother Liam (who’s also a ROAR client) then tested for the role of Thor, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige passed. Then, after a conversation with Ward (“You’ve got to reconsider Chris, he’s your guy”), Feige decided to let Chris read again. And once Marvel put him on tape, it was “Oh my god”. Branagh came to town last week and saw the Chris test and made the final casting decision today.

Watch on Deadline

What a week for Chris since, on Thursday, UA picked him as the Red Dawn lead. Brother Liam, who’s only been in Los Angeles for 3 weeks and doesn’t even have an agent yet, just got cast the male lead inLast Song opposite Miley Cyrus in the Disney film based on the Nicholas Sparks novel. Both brothers live in William Ward’s guest house. Unreal!

Thor’s character, in a nutshell, is the Viking god of thunder who wears a winged helmet and speaks in King James Bible-style English, as well as referring to himself in the third person as “the Odinson.” He wields a magic hammer, and can “fly” by throwing the hammer really hard and hanging on to it. Not only is there the movieThor, but he’ll also be interacting later with the likes ofIron Man andHulk. Marvel tapping Kenneth Branagh is considered a smart move to elevate the pic since the UK helmer has so much experience with Shakespearean battlemovies.

For months now, I’ve been tracking thisThor process though casting directors, agents and the like. Daniel Craig reportedly turned down the lead role.Other names reputedly in consideration wereRome’s Kevin McKidd and WWE champion Triple-H, who previously entered the Marvel universe as a villainous vampire inBlade: Trinity. And also a host of little knowns. (See my previous, Those Who Would Play Thor: Unknowns?) The followingactors were tested: Charlie Hunnam (the British co-star of the F/X seriesSons Of Anarchy); Tom Hiddleston (award-winning British actor and RADA graduate who played Winston Churchill’s son in HBO’sThe Gathering Storm), Alexandar Skarsgard (Stellan’s son who has appeared in the HBO Iraq War miniseriesGeneration Kill and vampire dramaTrue Blood), Liam Hemsworth (offered a significant role inThe Expendablesafter Sly Stallone saw his tape), and Joel Kinnaman (some Swedish-American dude).

I’d heard Marvel wanted to finalize castingThor this month. The pic’s release was recently pushed back from July 16, 2010, to now May 20, 2011.

Must Read Stories

Subscribe to Deadline

Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.

74 Comments

Barbariangothon June 9, 2011 6:47 am
Im a odinist and a marvel fan, I think that the role was made for Alexander, why he didnt got it I dont know. But if some one have the why please let me know
Anonymouson May 24, 2011 10:19 am
i like!!! i love youuu my men!!
babrockon December 20, 2009 5:24 am
I have been a Thor fan for a long time. As a kid I thought he was just t coolest thing in t entire Marvel universe and I would have to say that was probably my most favorite comic book until probably t new X-Men came out. Still tho, Thor was often problematic. If he was not involved in an epic quest of some sort (and often even those fell flat), there often was not anything for him to do. And if t major charactors talking in King James English is not something that grabs you then there is also that to contend with. I often thought it was cool personaly.
Another small point here; while yes Thor is an Imortal of Asgard and age doesnot mean t same as it does to us puny mortals it apearently has some signifigence as Odin is obviosly older than Thor. Plus I am pretty sure that I have at least ocasionaly seen children running around Asgard.
T last I read, Renne Russo is set to play Odin’s wife. I’d of thought her being too young would be more of a wrong age concern. Tho I, myself,havnot seen her in too much since she looked good in that Clint Eastwood secret service movie.
B
carghon December 8, 2009 2:46 pm
hey sounds good
everybody is better than Brandon Routh- the true Superman Murder
Davidon November 19, 2009 11:06 pm
For everyone saying that he doesn’t have to look like Thor to pull it off I would like to remind you about the guy from “That 70s Show” as Venom. How did that work out? For Exhibit B I would like to direct your attention to the Dragon Ball movie. Looks do matter, at least a little.
Oh and Big Money
Nick Fury-Samual L. Jackson can pull it off. He’s probably an immprovement over anyone else they could cast because nobody cares if Nick Fury is white or black.
Wolverine-Wolverine is not known for being short. He’s known for kicking butt and being tough. A taller Wolverine is an improvement.
Abomination-Obviosely an improvement over a fish-man so who cares?
Thor-In the comics Thor is the type of guy who would make most bad guys pee in their costumes before he even started using his powers. He’s a really big, intimidating guy. Having some pretty boy play Thor is obviously not an improvement.