THOR: Kenneth Branagh On Why Casting Chris Hemsworth And Tom Hiddleston Was Such A Big Decision For Marvel

THOR: Kenneth Branagh On Why Casting Chris Hemsworth And Tom Hiddleston Was Such A Big Decision For Marvel

Thor director Kenneth Branagh has explained why casting Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston was such a huge moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe...and a lot of pressure from Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige.

By JoshWilding - Jun 15, 2020 04:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Thor
Source: Collider

Director Kenneth Branagh has been doing the rounds to promote his new movie Artemis Fowl (you can read our review by clicking HERE), and when Collider caught up with the filmmaker, they asked about his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Branagh brought the God of Thunder to the big screen in 2011 with Thor, and explained why casting the movie proved to be so important. 

"I’ll never forget the moment that we cast those two boys [Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston]," Branagh started. "It was like a sort of meditation or a sort of incantation. Kevin Feige must’ve walked around this long oval table a hundred times on that Saturday morning as I kept sort of saying, ‘I think we should call them.’ ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yeah, I think we should call them.’"

"I knew how profoundly serious that decision was. Kevin said, ‘We’ll never make a more important decision in this company than what’s happening in this room, Saturday morning at 10:30, when you pick up the phone to Chris Hemsworth and then Tom Hiddleston. It’s either going to work or it’s not. Good luck.’" So, no pressure then! However, it was clearly a huge decision.

After all, had those casting decisions not worked out, the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be a very different place. Thor probably wouldn't be the fan-favourite he is today, while Loki would  most likely have been a one and done villain, never to be seen again after falling into the abyss in the first movie. 

How happy are you that Marvel Studios cast Hemsworth and Hiddleston in Thor?

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Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 6/15/2020, 4:10 AM
"We’ll never make a more important decision in this company than what’s happening in this room"

What about casting Tony? Cap? Hulk? If anything Thor was the least well known of the all of them.
Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 6/15/2020, 4:46 AM
@Godzillakartt - Yeah good point
Kyos
Kyos - 6/15/2020, 6:09 AM
@Godzillakartt - I still think Cap was a harder sell, at least globally.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 6/15/2020, 7:10 AM
@Nightwing1015 -
They already had Tony. As has been mentioned Thor is the hardest sell and with Loki being the main antagonist in The Avengers they had to nail it. And nail it they did.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 6/15/2020, 4:28 AM
Tom worked on Wallander with Branagh. I remember binging that show and thinking he must’ve had the inside track haha
TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 6/15/2020, 4:36 AM
WeaponXCII
WeaponXCII - 6/15/2020, 5:56 AM
One of the greatest casting decisions of the MCU.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 6/15/2020, 6:02 AM
I stand by the first Thor. Didn't like the character prior, and didn't think he made sense among superheros, him being a god. Walked out of the movie a huge fan, and Hemsworth and Hiddleston have been fantastic ever since.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 6/15/2020, 6:14 AM
Nailed the casting, if only those first 2 movies could've been better....
Ace101
Ace101 - 6/15/2020, 6:20 AM
Been a thorough comic book and EMH Thor fan for years, so I can say fantastic casting all round for most characters in the Thor franchise.
The first Thor is my favorite of the franchise, followed by the second.
What the franchise lacked was a clear direction, vision, consistency, failed with some of the villians, embracing the world of the Thor comics, so much stuff thrown to the wayside, so much potential, just gone. I should be excited for love and thunder, I'm just not anymore, I will watch it opening night as I do most MCU movies though.
OmegaBlack13
OmegaBlack13 - 6/15/2020, 7:59 AM
I maintain that had Jason Aaron started his Thor run four years sooner we’d have gotten completely different movies. Hemsworth and Hiddleston would’ve still been great, but the movies would’ve had a stronger direction overall, and Thor’s character wouldn’t have felt so unchanging post-origin and pre-Ragnorak.
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