Kenneth Branagh, our Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter, is directing the new Thor movie, one of the few on a list that’s setting up events for the ultimate Marvel movie, The Avengers, to be released in 2012. It seems a long way off, but Marvel fans have had and will continue to have their good fill of superhero movies leading up to it to whet their appetites. We’ve had our fill of the Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, and now there’s another Iron Man flick and the much-awaited one about the first Avenger, Captain America.

The Hulk, Captain America, and Thor have appeared before in their own movies, but they’ve not been convincing enough to beat director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man in popularity. But that may soon change with the way movie-making has been advancing in terms of characters and art - with new techniques, state-of-the-art effects, and the willingness of more discerning directors to jump into the comic-characters bandwagon.

Kenneth Branagh’s involvement in The Avengers is a welcome development after the job was first offered to Guillermo del Toro. Branagh will likely come up with a deep and believable story about the God of Thunder. Alexander Skarsgard of the HBO True Blood series was initially tapped for the role of Thor and even auditioned wearing the famous winged-helmet costume. At 6’4” Swedish, and blonde, he was thought ideal for the part. But Chris Hemsworth, the actor who played Captain Kirk’s heroic father in J. J. Abrams's Star Trek, got the part instead. This time, he will be wearing a different kind of tights unlike what he wore playing a Starfleet officer.

So what’s Hemsworth got that Skarsgard doesn’t which earned him the part? It’s a second chance! Hemsworth actually read for the part twice. The first time he wasn’t picked by a casting director. Fortunately for him, director Branagh knew what he wanted for the role. Skarsgard reacted to his losing to Australian, Hemsworth by saying he still hopes to get a part as a Marvel superhero.

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