Robert De Niro and Jude Law Potential Additions to 'Thor'

By our guest blogger Rob Stammitti of http://www.stammitti.wordpress.com

Marvel Studios has plenty of adaptations on the way. The fourth Spider-Man is well into developmental stages with an expected 2011 release, Iron Man 2 is getting prepped for a release in May, and with plans for an Avengers film, they’ve got plenty of their other characters in line, with Thor, an adaptation of the god of thunder-turned-superhero helmed by the unlikely Kenneth Branagh (known for his multiple film adaptations of Shakespeare works such as Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing), aimed for a May 2011 release.

The cast announced for the film thus far has been stellar: Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) has been brought on to portray the eponymous deity, and he’s joined by Natalie Portman, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore, Stellan Skarsgard, and now, possibly, Robert De Niro and Jude Law?

Cinematical writes:

“Obviously, [the announcement of De Niro and Law’s casting] is coming from a magazine and through a bit of translation, so we'll have to see if it’s officially confirmed. But running on the big assumption that this is a done deal, Thor has managed to land the biggest and most illustrious cast of Marvel yet -- and after Iron Man 1 and 2, that's saying a lot.”

With powerhouse additions like that to the cast, Branagh’s film may find itself one of the most hyped comic book adaptations of recent years. Branagh has worked with De Niro and Law before – De Niro in his Frankenstein adaptation and Law in his recent remake of Joseph Mankiewicz’s Sleuth – so it’s certainly not out of the question that he’s tapped the two talents for his first big-budget Hollywood action film.

If the rumor is indeed legitimate, this is sure to bring some positive attention back to De Niro, who has been, well, less than a critical darling this decade. With an unexpected director like Branagh at the helm of such a diverse and talented cast, Thor could very possibly be the next “The Dark Knight” or “Watchmen” and prove a unique and literate entry to the comic book-feature aggregate.

I imagine it’ll also be pretty fascinating to see De Niro don a superhero or supervillain outfit for the first time in his career. Perhaps later we’ll see his peers Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson follow suit?