Staff and agencies 

British director picks up hammer of Thor

Stardust director Matthew Vaughn set for thunderous success with Marvel Comics adaptation, assuming writers' strike does not intervene.
  
  

Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn: from Stardust to the god of thunder. Photograph: Linda Nylind

British director Matthew Vaughn has been lined up to direct the comic-book adaptation Thor, based on the adventures of the fearsome Norse god of thunder and war.

Marvel Studios made the announcement last night, on the eve of the north American release of Vaughn's latest film Stardust, a glittering fantasy romp starring Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro and Ricky Gervais.

Plot details remain under wraps. However if the comic books are anything to go by, audiences will get to see Thor come to earth as a protector of mankind, aided and abetted by his boomerang-like hammer, cascading blond locks and superhuman strength.

This will be Vaughn's second attempt to direct a superhero film after he pulled out of X-Men 3 for personal reasons several years ago. Brett Ratner stepped into the breach on that occasion, and the film went on to gross $459m (£225m) worldwide.

Vaughn's rapid ascent has been one of the stories of British success in Hollywood. He cut his teeth as a producer on Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels in 1998, eventually making his directing debut with the gangster flick Layer Cake in 2002.

Marvel Studios, meanwhile, will be pleased to have signed a director and will be keen to race the project into production ahead of a possible writers' strike in October. If industrial action kicks in, executives will not be allowed to call on a unionised writer to make script alterations during the shoot.

To this end, all the studios are stockpiling projects. Warner Bros begins shooting Yes Man starring Jim Carrey in October, while Christian Bale is hard at work reprising his role as Batman in the Dark Knight.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*