The career of Kenneth Branagh is one of the most interesting in modern Hollywood. From Shakespeare to Super Heroes and lots in-between, Branagh has range beyond most modern filmmakers. He is a fantastic actor to boot.

Last week we told you that the new Jack Ryan movie lost it’s director and was in fast need of a new one. Variety is reporting that they have found their new director:

Paramount and Skydance Pictures moved quickly to find their next director — and it’s Kenneth Branagh… The untitled pic, based on the character created by Tom Clancy, has been a priority at Paramount since Chris Pine came aboard to star, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura producing.

The movie is likely to get underway after Star Trek 2 finishes, giving star Chris Pine time to finish his other big franchise and giving time for Branagh to clear off what ever is on his current plate. This is fantastic news for the movie which was in unstable shape after it lost its previous director.

Bringing on Branagh is one of the boldest choices they could have made and represents a big plus for this flick. Although, it is still looking for a title so hopefully we won’t be saying the Untitled Jack Ryan movie for much longer.

Fans of the Marvel franchise had a pretty big feast this year with Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger hitting theaters back to back this year. Now that those stories have been established, it’s time to look forward and see what the sequels have in store for us.

The first getting ready for production is Thor 2, which has already lost original director Kenneth Branagh before the film even went into pre-production. Now we’re getting word from THR that the film is losing its second director in Patty Jenkins (The Killing).

The filmmaker was to have been the first female director of a Marvel Studios movie.

Alas, “creative differences” are being blamed.

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The Marvel movie machine just keeps on chugging. With Thor released earlier this year, Captain America set for next month and Joss Whedon’s Avengers on the way, Marvel has now set its sights on a sequel to Thor.

The studio has reportedly set a Summer 2013 release for the sequel to the film which featured Chris Hemsworth as the title character. He is expected to return for the sequel but, good or bad depending upon your thoughts about the first film, director Kenneth Branagh reportedly will not be back for the second installment.

According to the report, the director’s exit from the production was “mutual and amicable. ” That’s nice, Of course, if it wasn’t, nobody would ever say anything. People gotta keep working in Hollywood after all so you don’t want to burn any bridges . . . if you can help it.

Marvel has already set Iron Man 3 with Robert Downey Jr. to open on May 3, 2013 so expect Thor 2 to hit theaters more like July. No word yet on other cast members from the first film such as Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings or Tom Hiddleston returning for the sequel.

However, for big movies like this actors usually are contracted for at least two films, with an option for a third, so I would expect those actors to be back as well. We’ll keep an eye on this as it develops.

As the release of Kenneth Branagh’s Thor draws near we can expect the usual deluge of marketing materials to bombard us and try to influence us to see the movie. Not that we really need help in that department.

We’re gonna see it. Duh.

Still, seeing more of the movie before it comes out is cool. Fortunately, Paramount keeps releasing more videos. Case in point is this latest featuring Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and a taser.

Plus, it helps give us more insight into the story and, in particular, the sequence where Thor crashes to earth and is discovered by Portman and pals. And yes, it is pretty cool.

So, to experience this new video, be sure to click through to watch it.

Thor hits theaters on may 6th. As if you didn’t already know that.

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Okay, this is starting to look really good. I’m talking about, of course, Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming big screen adaptation of the Marvel comic Thor.

The studio has released a new trailer for the film and posted it over at Yahoo Movies. But because we like you and want to make it easier for you to find as much of the cool stuff as possible, we’ve gone ahead and put it up right here for you.

In this new trailer we get a much better look at the bad guys of the film, including Thor’s brother Loki and the giant mechanical being “The Destroyer”,  as well as a big helping of the humor we can expect. Fortunately, the film looks pretty funny. . . in addition to its awesome visuals of epic battle scenes, explosions and the like.

Check out the full trailer after the jump. Thor hits theaters on May 6th. I’ll be there on day one, how about you?

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This is what happens when the entire office goes out for happy hour. We miss cool trailers that drop late on a Friday. Case in point is the new teaser trailer for Marvel’s upcoming sure-to-be-epic Thor.

In this new trailer, which is a mix of new bits and footage screened during Comic-Con last July, we get the basic premise of the film which is that Thor is banished from his home planet to earth by his father. Once there he meets up with a human girl and then discovers he will have to fight an evil that followed him to earth. Of course, there’s also going to be some giant battle scenes and several sequences with Chris Hemsworth, sans shirt, to appeal to the ladies.

We’ve gone back and forth on this one as it seemed like less of a sure thing than Iron Man. However, more and more it looks like director Kenneth Branagh, the cast and the rest of the team know what they’re doing. Will Thor be next year’s Iron Man? We’ll see. But as huge fans of what Marvel is trying to do with these films, we sure hope so.

Check out the new teaser after the jump. Thor arrives in theaters on May 6, 2011.

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We’ve had some pics, some footage, a video game and now with the Marvel/Disney marketing machine ramping up even more, we’ve got the first poster for the upcoming Thor film to share with you today. The film is, as you probably know, being directed by Kenneth Branagh and features Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder.

With this new poster we get a good look at Hemsworth as Thor as well as something I’m sure fans are thrilled about: Thor’s mighty hammer Mjohnir. Gotta say I like the look of this poster and Hemsworth strikes an impressive pose as the title character. Kudos to the marketing department for this one. It’s simple yet gets the job done.

As the items have arrived giving us a better look at the film and what’s going to be in it we’ve become more excited about it. At first, I’ll admit, we were a bit skeptical but each successive bit of information has made the film look better and better.

Check out a larger version of the new poster after the break. Thor hits theaters on May 6th, 2011.

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When you work at a film website it’s often difficult to see trailers, pictures and the rest of the tidbits that come out about films without forming an opinion. Sure, in a perfect world we could go into these things with no prior knowledge at all and enjoy them (or not) the first time we see them. Sadly, it just doesn’t work that way.

By the time a film is actually released we know pretty much everything about it from the cast to the visual effects to the story to almost every kind of Easter egg it has. It’s just the way things are done now. Case in point is Marvel’s upcoming Thor adaptation. We’ve seen quite a bit of stuff from it including lots of photos and more. In this case it’s hard not to form an opinion and this opinion is, unfortunately, leaning to the negative.

The footage shown at Comic-Con last week in glorious Hall H doesn’t go that far to moving that opinion into the plus column. However, it is nice to see something from the film other than pictures and some pieces of it looked pretty good. Let’s hope the footage subsequently released keeps pushing things in a positive direction. Heck, let’s hope the movie ends up being good.

Until then, check out the footage after the jump. After you watch it, tell us what you think of it in the comments.

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Video games and comic pretty much go hand in hand these days. Whenever a movie based on a comic book character or franchise is on the way, expect a video game to soon follow. Marvel’s upcoming Thor film is no exception and will have a game based on it released soon after the movie.

Here’s all the info, and the first trailer, on the game from our pals at Marvel:

“Whosoever holds this hammer…if he be worthy…”

On the heels of San Diego’s Comic-Con last week, SEGA has made available the teaser trailer for the recently announced title, Thor: The Video Game, that was displayed at the convention.

Coming next year to the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, PSP system, Wii and Nintendo DS, this 3rd person action adventure boasts an original storyline exclusive to the videogame, for which Matt Fraction, lead Thor comic book author, served as story consultant.

Fans of this character will also get their first glimpse of Thor’s legendary hammer, Mjölnir, in this teaser trailer. Check it out after the jump and let us know what you think of it.

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We’ve been having a debate around The Flickcast water cooler for the last few months about if we feel Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Thor film will be any good. At first, when info started to surface we were pretty sure the film was in good hands and would be another great superhero film in the same vein as Iron Man.

Then, more recently, we saw more pics, including one of Anthony Hopkins seemingly doing his best 40 Year Old Virgin imitation, and our faith wavered. Fortunately, things seem back on track now with this brand new pic of Chris Hemsworth as Thor that has just dropped over at USA Today.

In it we finally see what all the fuss is about and get our first real look at the God of Thunder at his muscled best. If this is an indication of how Hemsworth is going to look as Thor and how the film will portray the character, Mr. Branagh we are sorry we doubted you.

Let’s just hope our faith is rewarded. For a bigger look at the pic, click through. As if you didn’t already know, Thor hits theaters on May 6th, 2011.

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Fans of all things Marvel and especially Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America should make their way to San Diego for Comic-Con this week, that is if they want to get things signed by the cast and directors of both upcoming movies. During the Con, Marvel Studios will have actors Chris Hemsworth, Tom Huddleston, Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving as well as directors Kenneth Branagh and Joe Johnston at the Marvel booth during various times so fans can get their favorite merchandise, or body parts, signed.

Here’s the complete scoop according to Marvel’s official press release:

The complete Marvel Studios signing schedule for Saturday July 24th at the Marvel Booth (#2329), is below:

11:15 – 12:00: Thor signing—Kenneth Branagh
12:30 – 1:30: Thor signing—Chris Hemsworth & Tom Hiddleston
2:00—3:00: Captain America: The First Avenger signing—Chris Evans & Hugo Weaving
3:30—4:30: Captain America: The First Avenger signing—Joe Johnston

Each signing is a ticketed event and requires a specific ticket for that individual signing. Fans should come to the Marvel Booth (#2329) as soon the convention opens to the public on Saturday morning for a chance (no purchase necessary) to receive one of the limited number of signing tickets.

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Remember a little while ago when the first image of Chris Hemsworth as Thor was released and I actually thought the movie looked pretty good? Then, even more pics and video came out and that optimism continued? Remember how I thought director Kenneth Branagh and his team seemed to be taking the movie seriously and I was excited to see it?

Well, remember that time fondly friends because now I’m so sure — especially after seeing this latest image from the film released by Hero Complex. In it we’re treated to a better view of golden eyepatch wearing Anthony Hopkins as Odin and some rather plastic-looking costumes which go a long way to spoiling my mood. I know you shouldn’t judge from a single image but compared to the previous ones, this one looks like it scores much higher on the cheese-o-meter.

Even though that might be the case, at least to me, the pic does have some redeeming qualities. It does offer us our first look at Tom Hiddleston as the evil Loki. He does look pretty good as a villain. Also, we can get a better look at Hemsworth’s Thor, complete with his weapon of choice: the mighty Mjohnir.

Okay, so this picture doesn’t exactly thrill me, for the most part. I will sincerely try not to make a mistake and judge too harshly without more to go on. Of course, hearing the news that both Thor and The Avengers will be in 3D doesn’t help matters.

It’s not easy staying optimistic, but I’ll do it. At least until next week’s inevitable Comic-Con unveiling of actual footage from the film. Once I’ve seen that I, along with thousands of others like me, can then decide the film is going to suck.

Click through for a lager version of the new photo. Thor hits theaters on May 10, 2011. Okay, what say you about this new photo? Thumbs up or down?

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