Chris Hemsworth to play Thor

Don't know who he is? You can catch him as George Kirk in the new Star Trek movie. Thor's director Kenneth Branagh has chosen Australian actor, Chris Hemsworth to be Thor. Hemsworth's casting is one of those rare and amazing Hollywood stories:

Ward [partner and co-founder of William Ward's ROAR management who reps Hemsworth] had found Chris during one of the manager's many scouting trips to Australia. Ward brought him to Los Angeles and really put him out there to casting directors and production executives.

Chris had read for the part of Thor but wasn't given a test because a casting director had nixed him early on. I'm told Chris' younger brother Liam (who's also a ROAR client) then tested for the role of Thor, but Marvel's Kevin Feigy passed. That's when Ward called up Feigy and said, "You've got to reconsider Chris. He's your guy." So Feigy let Chris read again. And once Marvel put him on tape, it was "Oh my god". Branagh came to town last week and saw the Chris test and made the final decision today.

What a week for Chris since, on Thursday, he just got cast as the Red Dawn lead. Brother Liam, who's only been in Los Angeles for 3 weeks and doesn't even have an agent yet, just got cast the male lead in Last Song opposite Miley Cyrus in the Disney film based on the Nicholas Sparks novel. Both brothers live in William Ward's guest house. Unreal! [Nikki Finke]

It is unreal, considering all the supposed frontrunners for the role. Everyone from Charlie Hunnam to Alexander Skarsgård had been suggested for Thor. I had initially been rooting for Hunnam, and I still think he would make a great Thor. But after seeing Hemsworth's brief, but memorable, and rather touching performance in Star Trek, I can't help but feel happy for the guy.

This week in superhero news: the 'Thor' casting edition

So, what do we know about the upcoming Thor movie? It's coming out in the summer of 2011, and a bunch of blond relatively unknown dudes are being considered - Tom Hiddleston, Liam Hemsworth, Joel Kinnaman, Alexander Skarsgård , and Charlie Hunnam. And Channing Tatum, who is apparently out of the running because it would be bizarre casting he isn't Nordic-looking enough. Meanwhile, the Alexander Skarsgård casting rumours have died down considerably (making that Nordic-looking criteria sound like bull).

This week, it's Charlie Hunnam's turn in the Thor spotlight. According to IGN:

Hunnam confirmed that he has indeed screen-tested for the role of the god of thunder. He has only shot one screen test so far, and when asked if it involved running around with a helmet and a hammer, he replied with a smile, "Something like that."

Hunnam didn't know what the status of the casting was but said that his people have been talking to Marvel. He believes that since Marvel pushed the start date of Thor back a few months the studio is taking its time to make the best decision for the film.

So, while Marvel takes its sweet time, I can always speculate. I think most people want to see Skarsgård get the Thor role. He has the right look, so it would be near perfect casting. But, I'm more familliar with Hunnam's work than with Skarsgård 's, and from what I've seen, Hunnam is a damn good actor. In half of his films he's downright unrecognizable, so while he might not look as perfect as Skarsgaard does, his talent should at least put him in the running. He's not the most popular choice, but I wouldn't go insane with anger if he were cast.