"Thor": major casting upgrade

[Dr Mordrid]

CASTING CHANGE: Brian Blessed is out as Odin.

Variety is reporting that Sir Anthony Hopkins now has the role.

Ever since Kenneth Branagh took over as director the A-listers have been lining up.

Shooting starts in January 2010.

[Evildead666]

Not the Action man type tho is he.....

Blessed at least had volume and power...

[jms]

Is there an interest for Norse mythologi in the USA?

[Tjalfe]

it would be nice with a few scandinavian actors in such a flick

[Dr Mordrid]

Is there an interest for Norse mythologi in the USA?

Much of the upper midwest, and a lot of folks who migrated from there to other regions, are Swedes, Danes, Finns or Norwegians so I guess the answer is yes. They formed the core of the iron mining, timber and Great Lakes shipping labor force. Everywhere from mid-Pennsylvania to the Dakotas.

[jms]

Much of the upper midwest, and a lot of folks who migrated from there to other regions, are Swedes, Danes, Finns or Norwegians so I guess the answer is yes. They formed the core of the iron mining, timber and Great Lakes shipping labor force. Everywhere from mid-Pennsylvania to the Dakotas.

Hmm, that's quite interesting! I would have to say (with regret) that the interest here is virtually zero, even though it's being taught in history class at school. Maybe not as "exotic" over here. I dunno.

I even live on parts of the farm of one of the Viking-eras local leaders; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erling_Skjalgsson and just a few stone throws from the place where the battle who united Norway under one monarch was fought http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hafrsfjord , but we don't give it much thought unfortunately. Just a part of our heritage

[jms]

it would be nice with a few scandinavian actors in such a flick

There's one; Stellan Skarsgård is Swedish.

[Dr Mordrid]

Hmm, that's quite interesting! I would have to say (with regret) that the interest here is virtually zero, even though it's being taught in history class at school. Maybe not as "exotic" over here. I dunno.

Because of the spelling silliness at Castle Clinton or later Ellis Island, NYC (where most Europeans landed for processing in the old days) you see all manner of Johnsson/Johansson/Jonsson etc. that ended up Jones, Johnson etc., and there are a lot of those in the US. Not to mention a bunch of other family names that got reconfigured.

My mothers family was a bunch of Jonson's, Jonsson's and Johanssons's, spelling depending on who was at the immigration desk when their ship landed

[Jammrock]

Is there an interest for Norse mythologi in the USA?

My mom was born and raised on Vigra, an island off the coast of Norway. I was raised on Norse mythology and Norwegian folk tales. I even have a little carved wooden troll on skis sitting on top of my monitor.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=vigra,+norway&sll=65.086018,13.07373&sspn=3.41242,11.151123&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Vigra&t=h&z=12

As Doc said, there are a lot descendants of Scandinavian immigrants here in the US and in Canada. Norse mythology is taught alongside Greek and Roman mythology in most schools here too, and the Thor comic book is pretty popular.

[Dr Mordrid]

Yup.

I have a metal collectible figurine of Marvel's Thor on my desk and a replica of a traditional Mjolnir hanging in the family room over crossed Viking swords.

[jms]

My mom was born and raised on Vigra, an island off the coast of Norway. I was raised on Norse mythology and Norwegian folk tales. I even have a little carved wooden troll on skis sitting on top of my monitor.

Cool, have you been to Norway yourself?

[jms]

Because of the spelling silliness at Castle Clinton or later Ellis Island, NYC (where most Europeans landed for processing in the old days) you see all manner of Johnsson/Johansson/Jonsson etc. that ended up Jones, Johnson etc., and there are a lot of those in the US. Not to mention a bunch of other family names that got reconfigured.

My mothers family was a bunch of Jonson's, Jonsson's and Johanssons's, spelling depending on who was at the immigration desk when their ship landed

I was on a trip to the US in 2000, and among other places also was at Ellis Island. They had a searchable register of all the immigrants. I found several ways to spell my own family name. Some of them quite amusing

[Jammrock]

Cool, have you been to Norway yourself?

When I was very little. I went for the Lillehammer games (my great uncle Odd was a photographer and lives in Lillehammer) but my great aunt invited her family before my Mom asked. I lived in Denmark for two years on my mission but never got the chance to go to Norway.

I do plan on visiting all of Scandinavia once my kids are older. Just need to keep up on my language skills.

[Dr Mordrid]

Went to visit relatives in Stockholm and Huddinge 30+ years ago.

Tons of fun in Stockholm at night, what I can remember of it

[Dr Mordrid]

Casting updates/changes:

Odin: Anthony Hopkins as mentioned above

and The Warriors Three are now finalized:

Fandal: Stuart Townsend (Lestat in Queen of the Damned; Dorian Gray in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)

Volstagg: Ray Stevenson (Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone; Titus Pullo in Rome) (6' 4"/1.93m so he's big enough)

Hogun the Grim: Tadanobu Asano (Japanese/Navajo actor; Kâbê and Zatôichi)