LOS ANGELES – Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the highly anticipated motion picture adaptation of Thor, the latest from the Marvel pantheon of legendary super heroes who have inspired generations of readers.
The epic adventure Thor spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the mystical 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. As a result, Thor is banished to Earth, where he is forced to live among humans. When the most dangerous villain of his world sends its darkest forces to invade Earth, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero.
Thor is the tale of one man’s mythic journey: from a petulant prince born to inherit the throne, to a humble super hero who earns the right to lead.
View: Thor Premiere Red Carpet Photos
In 1962, the now-legendary duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced The Mighty Thor to readers of Marvel Comics, unleashing a new era of action-adventure with their take on the hammer-wielding Norse god. Despite the somewhat odd-sounding names, the story was rooted in familiar, universal conflicts that have driven human drama since the beginning of time: a son impatient to prove his worth to his father; a lethally resentful brother; and a woman who helps a man see the world anew. Royal bloodlines, a deadly vendetta, pride that goes before a fall—in any world, these are stories well worth telling.
A founding member of the super hero team known as The Avengers, Thor emerged from the same Marvel Comics bullpen that had previously given rise to Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men and Spiderman.
Thor motion picture producer and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige remembers, “Stan Lee tells the story that after he and Jack Kirby created these other heroes, they thought, ‘Let’s do a god—and let’s bring a god down!’ And in a brilliant move, he looked at Norse mythology—a lot of people were familiar with the Greek and Roman mythologies, not so much with the Norse. When you read those stories, it’s like the best of the Marvel Comics, because it’s people who are very human, despite their powers—despite their calling down the storm, the thunder and the lightning. They have family issues, in the two brothers fighting, Thor and Loki. It’s a family drama, and they’re just as flawed as any of us, or any of the Marvel heroes. That’s what makes the Marvel characters so relatable.
“On film, we’ve explored a lot of the ground-based Marvel heroes,” Feige continues. “But it’s called the Marvel universe for a reason. It’s a big place, and we’re going to a cosmic level with Thor.
Thor stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, Colm Feore, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Jaimie Alexander, Tadanobu Asano, Joshua Dallas, with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Video: Thor Cast Interviews
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