Yesterday we got a hot new Thor trailer (that I’m still salivating over), today, director Kenneth Branagh talks about working on this highly anticipated film.
Branagh spoke exclusively with Entertainment Weekly about the tone of the film and why humor was so important. “We always felt there was a very strong mine of material in the fish-out-of-water. When you reduce a man who is arrogant by temperament, extremely oppressive and used to having his own way, dressed, um … unusually, you are immediately in a position where you have comic friction,” he said. “This is a guy who continues to live his own reality. In his mind, he’s still prince of the cosmos and he’ll do what he wants. People from Earth getting in his way and asking silly questions is immaterial.”
As to the role females play in mythology and in turn, Thor, Branagh said, “We’re very blessed with talented and beautiful women. We have Kat Dennings, as [Natalie Portman’s] partner in crime, we have Jamie Alexander as [the warrior goddess] Sif, Renne Russo as Thor’s mum.” He continued, “[Thor] is a man who has a Viking, atavistic sense of entitlement. In another life, he’d be suggesting everyone — particularly women — do exactly what he says. When you cast someone like Natalie Portman, the character can’t just be the love interest. She is already an interesting dynamic character in her own right. It helps to have that conflict and interplay.”
Branagh also said that Hemsworth’s brief role as Kirk’s father in J.J. Abrams Star Trek certainly helped in him being chosen to play Thor. “He’s immense, magnificent and massive as a physical being, but there’s a lot going on in those eyes, and a lot conveyed in the atmosphere of the man,” he said.
Branagh expressed that the culture clash aspect of the film is something he thinks audiences will enjoy. “Even in the case of a god, audiences — paradoxically — enjoy recognizing the human traits. In Thor’s case, we are thrilled by his powers, but I think we relate to his emotions. There are some flaws, some foibles, sibling rivalries at work, and romantic entanglements,” he said. “The way into making a god attractive is to find out where his experience connects to a human one.”
The director, who is a skilled actor in his own right, mentioned he might have some sort of cameo in the film but not a visual one.
February 18th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Kenneth Branagh voice over in the opening credits ala Lord of the Rings?
What’s up with the BBs at Newsarama dudes. This site is pretty lame without them. CBR is stealing your thunder (pun intended!)
February 18th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
So, they’re marketing THOR as a rom-com now?
“Honey, I really, really, really wanna see THOR!”
“I told you, no more superhero movies until you take me to see a Jennifer Aniston movie.”
“But, but, but, look at the trailer! There’s a frumpy sidekick chick who says funny stuff about facebook and carries a taser! Plus, the dude looks better without his shirt than Ashton Kutcher!”
“Ooh, I do like looking at hunky dudes.”
“And, it’s…IN…3…D!!!!!”
“You’re such a child.”
February 18th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
Yeah, this is going to suck even worse than I though.
February 18th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
If there’s one director I trust to do Thor justice, it’s Kenneth Branagh. The man’s a genius.
February 18th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
So they’re ripping off Bob Layton’s characterization of Hercules?
February 18th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Wow Newsarama is a bitter hateful pool of ignorant bottom feeding lonely dreches.
February 19th, 2011 at 12:48 am
OH NOES! A superhero movie that actually acknowledges that at least half the audience will be women!
Please.
Haters to the left, moar shirtless Chris Hemsworth for me :9
February 19th, 2011 at 5:34 am
I kept wondering why the comics artists have taken to drawing Thor’s hammer with a stupid-looking over-proportioned head. All is now explained.
February 19th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
“The director, who is a skilled actor in his own right, mentioned he might have some sort of cameo in the film but not a visual one.”
“Skilled actor????” Dude, come on, the guy is the greatest Shakespearean actor of this age.
February 19th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
the only thing that i guess bothers me, and this is from a storytelling standpoint, is why make them aliens instead of Gods? is that too much of a stretch?
February 20th, 2011 at 9:31 am
Wow, people are idiots. OF COURSE there has to be humor in this film. As Branagh says, if you take a Viking and put him in modern day society, the situational comedy is unpreventable. And if you do prevent it, then it will just ring as untrue. He didn’t say it was going to be a romantic comedy, there’s just going to be an appropriate amount of humor. So stop hating.
And PS, Joe S Walker, Thor’s hammer has been drawn like that for freakin’ ever. So quit your complaining.
February 20th, 2011 at 10:15 am
@ Doug Skywalker
Aliens!?! Did I miss something in that trailer?
February 20th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
It’s funny how fans see a few lines of humor in a movie like Thor or GL and assume it’s going to be a comedy.
Situational humor applied to the “stranger in a strange land” motiff or used as a defense mechanism is fine as long as the actors can pull it off well.
That being said, I’m not all that sure from the trailer that Hemsworth is good enough to it pull off the way Reynolds or Evans could.
And let’s not harp on the role of women until we see what they do. Throwing around Rene Russo’s name, when all she does is stand around and play dutiful wife as her kid gets booted doesn’t mean much to me.
February 20th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
And they’re not gonna be referred to as “gods” because nobody wants the Christian Right hounding them.
It’s bad enough that white supremacists groups have this movie on their radar.
February 20th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
I really liked the new trailer. Kat Dennings definitely stole the trailer. And I liked Hemworth’s boasting. It was brief but really offered a glimpse of what to expect from the movie.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:06 am
I read the shooting script (not that abominable first draft that was floating around) and, as written, the film never veers into rom-com territory.
All the women in the film (with the exception of Natalie Portman’s ‘partner in crime) are strong and capable; the ‘fish out of water’ comedy is not laid on with a trowel (Thor isn’t watching daytime TV or trying to work a microwave) and the entire film has a very serious tone to it.
The Gods Vs. Aliens thing is really no big deal; in fact, they way they explain it makes a lot of sense (and you’re not beaten over the head with it, either).
I was dubious at first but having a great script to work with gives me hope that this is going to be a great film.
Better than Cap and X-Men first class, anyway. You watch.
February 21st, 2011 at 5:06 am
This movie is gonna wow all the haters. Give it a shot! This is a tough concept to pull off when you step back & think about it. I honestly expected a more Lord of the Rings vibe for Asgard but every thing I’ve seen and read from Branagh is encouraging more optimism then pessimism. You’ve gotta wait & see…I thought X-men would suck, but trailer-wise, Vaughn’s got me leaning to optimism as well! It’s another summer of comics, let’s get it on!!!
February 21st, 2011 at 10:58 am
there is definitely alot of haterism going on for this film, considering Branaugh’s credentials i’m giving him the benefit of the doubt for sure, definitely over First Class any day. Nit picking is a very unattractive trait by the way.
February 21st, 2011 at 2:06 pm
I’ve been worried for a long time that this movie was going to be horrible, but much of what folks here are saying toward the positive side are good points, so I’m becoming more optimistic. A little humor will be fine; most superhero movies have at least some humor.
However, those who are expressing worries about potential mishandling of the character, based on what they’ve seen or read to date, does not make them haters. Nor do all the people who could be uneasy about referring to Thor & company as “gods” belong to the Christian Right.
I’m still not massively confident, but I’ll give it a chance.
February 21st, 2011 at 4:57 pm
I have no doubt that Marvel will triumph this year in film. DC, Dark Horse and all the indie pubs need to step up.
February 22nd, 2011 at 1:23 am
Uhm, the Asgardians are technically aliens in the MU as well. We may VIEW them as Gods, but they’re no more gods than Mephisto is the ACTUAL devil even as he constantly claims he is. Hell, Universe X makes light of this fact in a VERY brilliant way; as the only reason the Asgardians are the way they are is because over such a long period of time, they’ve come to fuel their own belief making their histories true simply because they themselves believe it to be true.
Also, @Mike since when is Kat Dennings frumpy? Have you seen the nudes that leaked last year? Yeah, far from frumpy.