While Marvel's Thor: The Dark World has mostly been well-received, there are some reviews that criticize the sequel lacking character to the main baddie, Malekith the Accursed, as well as his motives. But according to The Dark World actor Christopher Eccleston and director Alan Taylor, there were a lot of character-building scenes filmed, but they evidently didn't make the final cut.
Speaking with CraveOnline, Eccleston discussed the initial conversations he had with Taylor and Marvel about his Dark Elf leader. “Well, the first conversation with Alan [Taylor] was about how he wanted to avoid “the cackling fiend.” Alan spoke to me a lot about the Dark Elves’ sense of their own gravitas and aristocracy, and their ancientness. He wanted them to have a sense of entitlement and bearing. He wanted them regal, you know, that they felt that they were the superior beings of the Nine Realms. And of course, as in any film, the script that we shot is not the script that people see. There were various scenes in there, which for whatever reason didn’t make the final cut, which shaded in Malekith’s background. So even though the audience don’t hear about it, I’m hoping that it’s still present in the performance.” About those deleted scenes, Eccleston explains, “There was a scene where Malekith was in a certain area of Svartalfheim and remembering his children, his wife and children bathing there, and they had been lost to him. And some of the actions of Odin’s father, Bor, also. There was an extended scene with Anthony Hopkins where they discussed what had caused this ancient grievance between The Dark Elves and themselves. That kind of material. More character-related, yeah.”
When CraveOnline spoke with Alan Taylor, the Thor: The Dark World helmer was asked about the deleted scenes that Eccleston mentioned, and if there will be a director's cut. “Wouldn’t that be great? [Laughs] Maybe if you start the lobbying right now you can build up enough demand that Marvel will have to respond. I think it’s always the case with these big movies that that happens, and it’s painful to me because I absolutely love, love, love, love a lot of the stuff that fell by the wayside. Some of it was Malekith. You saw a lot more into the relationship between him and Algrim. You saw a lot more of what was driving him personally. And as I mentioned already there was a lot more with the kids, you saw them explore these fantastical events that were going on.” Alan Taylor added, “Yeah, that’s excruciating. Whether it’s whole scenes that are dropped or whether it’s beats or lines or moments that fall away in the drive to make it faster, tighter, funnier, quicker, more efficient, so yeah, that’s the excruciating thing. I think if there was a director’s cut it would be that much different. Maybe someday. Maybe someday if I become such a huge success later on in life I can come back and do it.”
On another note, Alan Taylor was also questioned about developing a potential love triangle between Thor, Jane Foster, and Sif in the Marvel sequel. “No. I think always that’s there, in the comic mythology, and it gets really complicated in the Norse mythology. [Laughs] The trouble is there’s never quite enough time to serve all these things, but I try to gesture towards it a few times. I think Jaimie Alexander does wonderful job in the scene where you can tell she’s trying to advise Thor how to be a good king, but really she’s just speaking out of jealous. That’s outside the pub. That’s a nice moment. And there’s a tiny glance that I thought was really wonderful between her and Jane, where they’re sort of sizing each other up. The only finish to that is that she’s the one who stays behind to hold the guards back as Thor runs away with Jane. That’s the beat in that arc that’s very brief out of necessity in the scale of things. I think Sif’s not going anywhere. There may be another chance to explore that.”
What do you think? Anyhow, be sure to read the great interview in its entirety over at CraveOnline!
Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all. Starring Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor. The film is produced by Kevin Feige, while executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Craig Kyle and Nigel Gostelow. Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Thor: The Dark World opens in theaters on November 8, 2013.