I’ve been saying this whole time that Kenneth Branagh’s hiring as THOR director was a brilliant decision on Marvel’s part. A large portion of the man’s body of work has been spectacular production that have made Shakespeare plays exciting and accessible to modern audiences who usually find them all-too-often impenetrable. Considering that Marvel’s thunder god already speaks in a pseudo-Shakespearean manner and the Tales of Asgard frequently recall the regal sagas of RICHARD III and HAMLET, the hiring really comes off as a no-brainer. You’d really think there wouldn’t be any more gold points to weigh the scale in his favor.
Then, today, Branagh revealed to the LA Times that he was a huge fan of Thor as wee Irish lad.
So speaks Branagh…
"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, really, exclusively, I don't know why, but it struck a chord. I was drawn to it. I liked all the dynastic drama."
Just listen to the man talk how pictures the movie. This isn’t “Hur hur… I wanna make a dope popcorn movie.”
"Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we've tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world… It's about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different.... The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film."
Can this movie come out next month? Please? Approach, casting, tone… too many things are being done right to expect me to wait. And it looks like Marvel’s rubbing their hands together gleefully and capitalizing on that anticipation. Not only is Thor going to show up in IRON MAN 2, but there are actually going to be some blatant connections to the CAPTAIN AMERICA movie, according to Marvel’s production prez, Kevin Feige.
"Now many of the pieces are in place ... with 'Iron Man 2' finished and 'Thor' more than halfway done, that lattice work is being built.”
Fuse that latticework into place, Mr. Feige! I want to see this Marvel movies skyscraper be erected! I suppose the point of discussion now will be to speculate as to just HOW these movies will be connecting together. Thor’s civilian identity, Donald Blake, will probably be showing up in a French jail for IRON MAN 2, but how do you figure Cap will be hinted at, oh connected-like-lattice Comic Vine community? Could SHIELD be asking Tony Stark for some new laser tech. to unfreeze the Sentinel of Liberty? Or, perhaps Tony will just slide into a big chunk of ice containing Cap while going for celebratory ski-trip in the mountains after the bad guys have been beaten?
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Watch out for the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover collection this April - - available for pre-order now on Amazon.com .
