Taylor may be new to Thor, but
the cast is made up of all the familiar
faces you’d expect to see. Aussie
actor Chris Hemsworth (Red Dawn,
and more recently Rush) once
again steps up to wield the fabled
hammer Mjolnir as Thor himself.
Natalie Portman (Black Swan, the
Star Wars prequel trilogy) is Jane
Foster, astrophysicist and obligatory
love interest. Loki (Thor’s wayward
adoptive brother and part-time
nemesis), primary antagonist of both
the original Thor and The Avengers,
will once again be brought to life by
Tom Hiddleston. The role of Odin
is in the care of much-loved actor
Anthony Hopkins, who’s starred in
more excellent movies than we’ve
had breakfasts, but is perhaps
most widely known for his role as
Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of
the Lambs and its sequels (those that
matter, at least). Frigga, Odin’s wife
and queen of Asgard, is played by
Thor’s
hammer
Mjolnir
comes in 30
variants, each
designed to serve a
unique purpose. The
primary Mjolnir is
made of aluminum,
but there are others
made of different
materials to give
them a different
weight. There’s a
“soft” version for
stunts, too. Five
of the 30 are used
more often than the
rest, including the
“lit hammer” that
emits light to show
off lightning strikes.
This film’s Mjolnir is
different to the one
in The Avengers. It’s
meant to look more
aged, as if it bears
more history.
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Rene Russo (Tin Cup, The Thomas
Crown Affair). Jaimie Alexander
reprises her role as Sif, Thor’s
childhood friend and Jane Foster’s
key rival for the Thunder God’s
romantic affections.
Idris Elba returns as Heimdall,
Stellan Skarsgård is Dr Erik Selvig
and Kat Dennings returns as
Foster’s intern Darcy Lewis. As
you’d expect, there’ll be a slew of
fresh faces to join the massive list
of recurring stars. Fresh antagonist
Malekith is being portrayed by
Christopher Eccleston, whose acting
credits include 28 Days Later and
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Adewale
Akinnuoye-Agbaje embodies the role
of Algrim the Strong, a Dark Elf who
serves as Malekith’s most trusted
Lieutenant – and later transforms
into Kurse, a monstrous being who
boasts even greater strength than
Thor. Zachary Levi of Chuck and
Tangled fame steps into the role of
Fandral, replacing Joshua Dallas as
one of the Warriors Three who fights
alongside Thor.
feature / movies / Thor: The Dark World