Thor Closing In On Its Star?

IGN talked with Kevin McKidd at the premiere of Punisher: War Zone and the Rome and Journeyman actor confirmed that he's still in the running for the leading role. They reported earlier that McKidd had said Marvel was looking to cast him in a supporting role, leaving Thor's shoes to be filled by a younger actor, but it looks like things have changed. McKidd's done period work before, and done it well, so I think he'd be a good fit for the role (especially working with a director like Kenneth Branagh). But would Marvel trust the keys to one of their next big franchises in the hands of a non-A-lister? They do seem committed to a higher standard of quality for their films, though, so it doesn't seem unfeasible that they'll get whoever they think can play the role best. We'll keep our eyes out for more Thor updates and let you know how things unfold.

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Wolverine Trailer Coming The Day The Earth Stood Still

Coming Soon has confirmed with Fox that the trailer for Wolverine will debut before the December 12th remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still. Word is that the trailer will remain exclusive for theater-goers for some time, not arriving online or on TV until a later date. I'm not sure how I feel about this project. Recent rumblings of director Gavin Hood and studio head Tom Rothman butting heads are less than reassuring, and Hood's own reputation seems to have lost a good deal of steam after last year's mediocre Rendition. Still, Wolverine is one of the most engaging characters in the Marvel universe, and the project sure has enough talent behind it. December 12th will give us our first real look at the movie since the Comic Con sizzle reel. Here's to hoping it's a good one.

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Josh Schwartz Joins X-Men's First Class

Fox and Josh Schwartz are in negotiations to have the Gossip Girl and The O.C. creator write a new installment in the X-Men franchise, with the option to direct as well (though Schwartz appears to have opted out of the latter role for now). The project is tentatively titled X-Men: First Class and would possibly draw from the limited-run comic series of the same name that Marvel launched back in 2006. The series focuses on the early years of the supergroup, and was geared toward younger audiences, which might explain the choice to bring Schwartz in to pen the script. No word yet on how the project would fit into the continuity of the movies, though. The film follows in the footsteps of other X-Men spinoffs that Fox is prepping, including the upcoming Wolverine movie as well as the Magneto and Deadpool projects that are in development. X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner and Mr. & Mrs. Smith and X-Men: The Last Stand scribe Simon Kinberg will produce.

I'm actually a fan of Josh Schwartz's work. Sure, his projects tend to be flawed and kind of clunky at times, but he knows how to sell to a young audience. He's also a pretty smart guy and a talented writer with a biting wit and great self-awareness. Hopefully that all translates into him writing a good movie for this franchise. Not sure how this will affect his attachment to Looking For Alaska, the coming-of-age dramedy based on John Green's award-winning YA novel of the same name (which is actually a good read, if you can look past the YA label), which he wrote and was slated to make his directing debut with.

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Captain America Enlists Narnia Scribes

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the writing team behind the Narnia movies, indie crime-comedy You Kill Me, and HBO movie The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, are in negotiations to tackle Marvel's The First Avenger: Captain America. The movie, if you'll remember, signed Joe Johnston on as its director last week, and it looks like the remaining talent is beginning to fill in as well. It's set to come out on May 6, 2011. Now that a script is being worked on, the producers can likely focus more seriously on casting. Which begs the question, who would make a good Captain America? Rumors have mentioned everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Matthew McConaughey to Dr. Who's John Barrowman. Personally, I'm intrigued by the recent suggestion of Channing Tatum. The only thing bothersome about that idea for me is that he's a bit on the young side. Leave us a comment with any of your suggestions.

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Thor Gets Animated

The Hollywood Reporter is telling us that Marvel Studios is planning a 26-episode animated series for their Norse god property. The cartoon would begin airing in 2010, soon after the theatrical run of Thor. Marvel is also planning cartoon versions for their other live-action films, including one dedicated to The Avengers (I wonder if Thor will feature in that one at all?).

Anyway, this is exciting news for me. I grew up watching X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman cartoons, and really haven't been too impressed by the recent super-hero offerings in an animated format. Hopefully, this will give kids something cool to chew on, giving the new generation of fans worthwhile interpretations of the material.

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