Marvel Studios: Anthony Hopkins to Star as Odin in the Upcoming Movie Thor

After rumors have been swirling about Jude Law and Robert DeNiro taking various roles in the upcoming movie "Thor", it seems that we now have confirmation that Anthony Hopkins is going to play the role as Odin, the father of Thor. According to a Variety article that was published on November 9^th, Anthony Hopkins will take on the role. Chris Hemsworth will be playing Thor and Tom Hiddleston will be playing his evil brother Loki. Natalie Portman will also be starring in the movie as Thor's love interest, Jane Foster.

The Paramount Pictures movie will be released in May of 2011 and the actors who will be starring the movie have been under speculation for awhile now. Sir Anthony Hopkins takes on the role as Odin, who is often personified as a white-bearded, woman chasing, and wine tasting Asgardian god. Odin is not an immortal, none of the Norse gods are, and he has had his share of betrayl in his life.

Anthony Hopkins brings a real stamp of credibility to the film that up to this point had only featured one major star's name, and that was Natalie Portman. The Marvel Comic movie hopes to build upon it's current string of hits including the X-Men, Wolverine and Iron Man and keep rolling the profits up at the box office.

The premise of the movie is about the thunder god, Thor (Hemsworth), and how his father, Odin (Hopkins) grows tired of his arrogant son's reckless actions that reignite an ancient war, and banishes him to live among the mortals on Earth. His arch enemy and brother, Loki, eventually sends the dark armies of Asgard to Earth to enslave the mortals and Thor must fight against them.

The movie will be directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also directed the William Shakespeare works, Henry V (1989), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Hamlet (1996), and others. He is also well known for his acting abilities in such roles as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and a role in Tom Cruise's movie Valkyrie.

Sir Anthony Hopkins seems a great fit for this role and with Kenneth Branagh as director we might see some serious dramatic acting in this new Marvel concept that the other action packed films have so far lacked. Pairing one of the great dramatic actors of our time with a director who has a penchant for Shakespeare could be something unique in the comic to film adaptation history. The Marvel Studios movie begins production in January 2010.