Natalie Portman to Star as Jane Foster in Marvel Studios’ THOR

Marvel Studios announced today that Academy Award® nominated actress Natalie Portman has been cast to star as Jane Foster in the studio’s highly anticipated movie THOR. In the early THOR comics, JANE FOSTER was a nurse who became Thor’s first love. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation. Portman will star opposite Chris Hemsworth who will play Thor and Tom Hiddleston who will play the villain Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct the film.

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige will produce THOR. Principal photography for the film is set for early 2010. The film will be released in the US on May 20, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of superhero: THOR. This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Portman will next be seen starring in Jim Sheridan’s BROTHERS opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire. She recently wrapped production on HESHER, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and executive produced by her production company handsomecharlie films, and Don Roos’ LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS, which also she executive produced. In 2004, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as an Academy Award nomination in the same category for CLOSER. She also earned critical acclaim for her role in GARDEN STATE and is most well known for her role as Queen Padme Amidala in the STAR WARS Trilogy. Other film credits include THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, V FOR VENDETTA, COLD MOUNTAIN, ANYWHERE BUT HERE, HEAT, BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, and THE PROFESSIONAL.

THOR is one of a continuing slate of films being produced by Marvel Studios based on the Marvel characters, including IRON MAN 2 on May 7, 2010, THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA on July 22, 2011, and THE AVENGERS on May 4, 2012.

Portman is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, CAA and George Sheanshang.

Over the weekend, news broke that Chris Hemsworth (who played George Kirk in Star Trek) had been cast as Thor in Kenneth Branagh’s big screen adaptation of Marvel’s Thor and the Summer 2012 superhero team-up film The Avengers. Nikki Finke is reporting that British actor Tom Hiddleston, who is almost a complete unknown to American audiences, has been cast as Thor’s nemesis Loki. Of course, the actor has ties to director Branagh, who starred with him in Ivanov on the London stage and the BBC miniseries Wallander. Hiddleston was also one of the actors on the short list being considered for the part of Thor, which should tell you something.

Talk about spot-on casting. I’ve just learned that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and director Kenneth Branagh have chosen their THOR — and it’s Chris Hemsworth, who can currently be seen as “George Kirk” in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot and also just snagged the lead in Red Dawn for MGM on Thursday. The 25-year-old Australian hunk is a virtual unknown here in the United States. But he played “Kim Hyde” on 171 episodes of Home and Away, the successful Oz TV series chronicling the lives and loves of the residents of Summer Bay, a small Aussie coastal town. Hemsworth is repped by partner and co-founder William Ward at ROAR management and agent Ilene Feldman. Marvel Studios has scheduled Thor for a June 17, 2011, release. – from Deadline Hollywood

Here’s Marvel Super Hero Schedule:

Iron Man 2: May 7, 2010
Spider-Man 4: May 6, 2011
Thor: June 17, 2011
The First Avenger – Captain America: July 22, 2011
The Avengers: May 4, 2012

Marvel’s moviemaking mojo just got s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d. Sony on Thursday set “Spider-Man 4″ for release on May 6, 2011, while co-producer Marvel Studios locked into later slots than previously announced for three other comic-book actioners. As a result of the changes, Marvel pics will launch on the first weekend of May and kick off the boxoffice summer in three straight years, starting with “Iron Man 2″ on May 7, 2010. The moves also get Marvel off the hook of a commitment to produce two pics for release next year — a pledge always considered a bit overambitious in some quarters. Among key date changes, Marvel will delay “Thor” by almost a year — shifting its release to June 17, 2011, from the previously announced July 16, 2010 — and moved “The First Avenger: Captain America” to July 22, 2011, from the previously announced May 6, 2011, which it has ceded to “Spider-Man 4.” Marvel also postponed the release of “The Avengers” until May 4, 2012, from a previous July 15, 2011, slot. “Avengers” is positioned last among its upcoming pics so that characters figuring in the ensemble-superheroes action including Thor and Captain America can be introduced with their own movies. – From The Hollywood Reporter

“We spent seven or eight hours with Kenneth where he meticulously took us through the beats of the ‘Thor’ movie along with [Marvel Studios head] Kevin Feige and our friends at Marvel West,” Quesada told MTV. “We just sat there, and it was almost like he acted out the entire movie.”

As Quesada and Bendis shared with fans via Twitter last week, the pair had no shortage of compliments for Branagh’s willingness to get to know the Marvel universe.

“You just thought, ‘Wow. This guy has immersed himself in the Marvel culture — not just in Thor — but in the Marvel universe in general,” said Quesada. “He knew a lot of stuff — some things that I didn’t even know.”

“He was reciting Thor stuff from the past, continuity events, quotes from different books, little bits and pieces from stories that he really found fascinating — whether they were old [Jack] Kirby and [Stan] Lee stories or [Walter] Simonson stories or modern stuff that we’re doing,” continued Quesada. “He really got it.”

- from Mtv

“I am directing “Thor” or “The Mighty Thor’ as you might like to call it,” he said with a smile before clarifying what the title of the film will be. “I think it will be ‘Thor’.”

MTV has spoken to other writers about why Branagh would be such a good fit for the hero. But here was finally an opportunity to hear from Branagh about what appealed to him about the project. So what’s the appeal of “Thor,” Kenneth? “To work on a story about one of the immortals, Gods, extraordinary beings, inter-dimensional creatures,” he enthused.

He continued excitedly, “There’s science fiction and science fact and fantasy all woven into one. It’s based on Norse legends which Marvel sort of raided in a brilliant way.

So who will play Branagh’s hero? Asked about the rumors of Kevin McKidd being up for the role, the director waved it off as premature speculation.

“There’s been lots of talk [about casting] — I sound like a politician — but we are too early at this stage. We’re getting the story and the visual effects together and all of that is very exciting. Someone sensational is going to play the part but it is early days.” – from Splashpage

IGN caught up with Rome and Journeyman star Kevin McKidd at last night’s after party for the premiere of Punisher: War Zone, starring McKidd’s Rome co-star Ray Stevenson, where we asked the actor if he was still in the running for Marvel’s live-action Thor movie. McKidd confirmed for IGN that he’s still a contender for the lead role and that there’s been “a lot of back and forth” about the project of late, but that nothing has been determined. He acknowledged that Kenneth Branagh is directing it, a choice that makes him even more excited about the film. – from IGN