Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures,[N 1] it is the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Kenneth Branagh, written by the writing team of Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz along with Don Payne, and stars Chris Hemsworth as the title character, alongside Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Colm Feore, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Rene Russo, and Anthony Hopkins. The film sees Thor banished to Earth from Asgard, stripped of his powers and his hammer Mjölnir, after reigniting a dormant war. As his brother Loki plots to take the Asgardian throne, Thor must prove himself worthy.
Sam Raimi first developed the concept of a film adaptation based on Thor in 1991, but soon abandoned the project, leaving it in “development hell” for several years. During this time, the rights were picked up by various film studios until Marvel signed Mark Protosevich to develop the project in 2006, and planned to finance it and release it through Paramount. Matthew Vaughn was originally assigned to direct the film for a tentative 2010 release. However, after Vaughn was released from his holding deal in 2008, Branagh was approached and the film’s release was rescheduled to 2011. The main characters were cast in 2009, and principal photography took place in California and New Mexico from January to May 2010. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
Thor premiered in Sydney, Australia, on April 17, 2011, and was released in the United States on May 6, 2011. The film was a financial success, earning $449.3 million worldwide, and was positively reviewed for its performances, although the Earth-based elements of the film received some criticism. Two sequels, Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, were released on November 8, 2013, and November 3, 2017, respectively. A third sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, is in development.
[amazon_auto_links asin=”B005H9B2CE,B00IMZ2PNK,B076Y4M98R”]Thor: Love and Thunder
A third sequel named Thor: Love and Thunder is due to be released on November 5, 2021. Both Hemsworth and Thompson will reprise their roles, with Natalie Portman returning after not appearing in Thor: Ragnarok.During Marvel’s 2019 San Diego Comic-Con panel it was revealed that Portman would portray her character taking on the mantle of Thor, similar to the comics.Thompson revealed that Valkyrie will be the first LGBT superhero in the MCU, with the character’s sexuality being featured in the film. As the new King of Asgard, Valkyrie will be searching for a Queen; her sexuality was previously hinted at in Thor: Ragnarok, while a deleted scene explicitly depicted the character as such.
