Last year Marvel head Avi Arad announced that a Thor movie was in the works.
“We’re in the scripting stage right now,” Arad said.
An article in the LA Times claims that Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn is in negotiations to direct the film based on a Mark Protosevich screenplay. If this is true, than the project if further along than everyone expected. Vaughn was originally set to direct X-Men 3 but left the project a couple months before production was to begin citing personal reasons. Many people believe he caved to the pressures of directing a huge superhero film. So if Vaughn does sign on, will he be able to handle Thor?
The Mighty Thor is a Marvel Comics superhero based on the thunder god of Norse mythology. The character was created by comic book legends Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber.
In the comic book series, Thor is on a mission from his father Odin to be a superhero on Earth while hiding under the secret identity of Dr. Donald Blake. Thor would transform by tapping his walking stick on the ground.
While it made for good comics in the 70’s and 80’s, I think Thor is just one of those comic book characters that won’t translate well in a live action movie. It seems to me that most of the good superhero characters have already been tapped, and now they’re digging into the middle of the bucket. And the middle of the bucket isn’t good film material.
Thor made his first appearance in August of 1962 in the comic book Journey into Mystery #83.
June 13th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
my god! it’s about time!
July 11th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Thor is middle of the bucket? With the success of Lord of the Rings and CGI, you are saying Hollywood can’t create Asgard? Everybody who knows anything about comics is familiar with the Mighty Thor. He is an A-List Marvel character. They made Daredevil. They made Elektra (I’m still trying to figure that out), but Thor won’t translate? Hollywood has to stick to the spirit of the comics. I think the problem is not with the superheros, but it’s Hollywood’s treatment of characters that we grew up watching in cartoons and reading in comics. Case point, The Hulk. They turned it into a Shakespearean play or something. These are comics not King Lear. Stick to the subject, don’t make it deeper than it has to be. Sure you can make subtle changes, but don’t corrupt the characters that the real fan knows inside and out. Thor would be successful as long as they don’t do dumb things like casting people completely wrong for the role.
July 19th, 2007 at 5:45 am
Shater you put absolutely perfect, anyone who knows thor knows if this movie is done right, and by right i mean sticking to the comics without making stupid changes that will ruin it, a perfect example is superman returns, where some idiot gave him a kid. thor would make a awesome movie series, fighting all the greatest vilians, loki, surtur, absorbing man, and then we can only pray beta ray bill come out and theres a spinoff. Asgard will be awesome as long as they keep the language in the shakespearan tounge.
July 22nd, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Since the first Marvel films have come out a lot of “old school” friends and I have been longing for a Mighty Thor movie to appear. If done right, it could be one of the very best. How about a script including Hercules and Thor battling for nurse Jane’s love? Loki plotting against Thor?
July 23rd, 2007 at 3:55 am
“Middle Of The Bucket?” By Odin’s Beard! Peter Sciretta perhaps you are referring to the Punisher, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, & Elecktra? Thor comics always had a deeper story and content than these others and I believe that with the right director, keeping true to the comic, this shall prove to be a bigger box office draw than the above four put together!
August 21st, 2007 at 1:09 am
It will alas be a load of crap.
I dearly hope I am wrong but there is no way it will get a Lord of the Rings budget or preparation timescale.
It is a film aimed at the comic fans but is unlikely to get much of a following beyond that so it is too much of a gamble for investors and movie companies.
The budget will be limited and therefore it will look like Dolph Lundgren’s He-Man film, with the one exception of a massive storm summoning special effects scene which will take half the budget (and be over-played in the trailers.
Whoever plays Loki will steal the show (e.g. Alan Richman in Robin Hood prince of thieves) and the Thor actor will be a steroid filled meathead who couldn’t deliver a line if it was in an envelope with a stamp on it.
If anyone out there runs a fake fur and horned helmets business, get stocking up because you’ll make a killing (alas).