Chris Hemsworth to Play Marvel's Thor

By Matt Brady
posted: 18 May 2009 05:22 am ET

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Rumors began to swirl over the weekend, and now, it looks like Chris Hemsworth will be wielding Thor’s hammer for the upcoming Kenneth Branagh-directed film version of the Marvel Comics character.

The hunt was reportedly extensive for Marvel and Branagh, given that the actor must have both the acting ability as well as the body type and athleticism to play the Norse god of Thunder. According to Variety, signing on as Thor in the solo film automatically means that Hemworth will play the character in Marvel’s planned Avengers film in 2012.

Hemsworth was most recently seen playing George Kirk in the opening minutes of Star Trek, and will also play Jed Eckert in MGM’s upcoming remake of Red Dawn.