Over the summer, Thor brought some cosmic stylings to the onscreen Marvel universe, making some good money, establishing Chris Hemsworth as a potential Really Big Deal©, and providing yet more setup for next summer's The Avengers in the process.  A Thor sequel, then, is in the not at-all uncommon position of having an announced release date, despite not having a finished script or a director, since Kenneth Branagh has opted not to return for another round of Asgardian action.  Despite previous news suggesting that Marvel Studios found their man to direct, it appears that not only is no director set, but Monster helmer Patty Jenkins is now a very likely candidate for the job.

Opening in U.S. theaters on May 6th is the latest big screen adaption of a classic Marvel Comics character, Thor. The film tells the origin of the popular hero and acts as a bridge between Marvel's previous movies; Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and The Incredible Hulk, and their upcoming projects; Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers. The movie is helmed by acclaimed director Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet), and stars Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) in the title role as the God of Thunder. The film also features an extraordinary cast that includes Oscar winners Natalie Portman (Black Swan), and Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) , Tom Hiddleston (Midnight in Paris), Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting), Kat Dennings (Charlie Bartlett), Idris Elba (The Losers), Colm Feore (24), Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone), Jamie Alexander (Love and Other Drugs), and Rene Russo (The Thomas Crown Affair). Artistdirect's Rick Florino recently had an opportunity to sit down with the cast of Thor, including director Kenneth Branagh, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Kat Dennings, and Jamie Alexander, to discuss the film, the character, the mythology, and The Avengers.

Synopsis:

The epic adventure Thor spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the mystical realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. As a result, Thor is banished to Earth where he is forced to live among humans. When the most dangerous villain of his world sends its darkest forces to invade Earth, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero.

To watch our exclusive interview with the cast and crew of Thor, please click on the video player above.

Thor opens in U.S. theaters on Friday!

We're just a week from the American release of Marvel's Thor, and if you live in a metropolitan area, you're probably used to seeing the Thunder God's hammer, Mjolnir, smashing billboards and buses everywhere you turn.  While those ads don't exactly show off a lot of the film's fantastical content, a brand new Japanese Thor trailer shows off more of Asgard, the plot, and Sif and the Warriors Three (Jaimie Alexander, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, and Ray Stevenson) than we've been privy to so far.  There's a whole lot of new stuff in the trailer, so peep it post haste.

With the exception of his brief role as James T. Kirk's pappy in the opening of the Star Trek reboot, Chris Hemsworth is an unknown quantity to American audiences.  That has some people worried that he won't be able to pull off playing the titular God of Thunder in Marvel's Thor.  He certainly looks like the Asgardian deity-turned-superhero, but on his show the last two nights, Conan O'Brien has pointed out a potential problem with Hemsworth's performance.  Watch two eminently chuckle-worthy videos right here, courtesy of Team Coco.

You know what they say, "You can take the God out of Asgard, but you can't take Asgard out of the God."  So even though the title character in Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, is kicked out of the ethereal plane and cast off to Earth as a mortal, that doesn't mean he intends to endure the indignity of wearing a hospital smock.  In this latest Thor clip, which debuted at Yahoo! Movies, the disgraced deity lays waste to a hospital staff while puny mortals Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, and Stellan Skarsgard attempt to locate the son of Odin.  Take a look.

We've known for a dog's age that in the upcoming Marvel film Thor, Jeremy Renner will have a cameo as Hawkeye, a character who will have a more substantial role in next summer's The Avengers.  The marketing machine for Thor is running full steam ahead, and a new, minute-long clip features a tiny glimpse of a hooded dude who is almost certainly Clint Baron, aka Hawkeye, the supreme sharpshooter of the Marvel Universe.  See for yourself.

Thor needs to hurry up and hit theaters, because I ran out of hammer-related puns months ago.  The latest Marvel superhero film has begun its marketing blitz in earnest, and the latest addition to the roiling sea of Asgardian advertising is a fresh TV spot, courtesy of Comingsoon.  Here we get to see Chris Hemsworth as 'Rebel' and 'Outcast' Thor, Natalie Portman as the Thunder God's terrestrial honeykitten, Anthony Hopkins as big daddy Odin, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki, the God of Mischief.  Peep the commercial right here. UPDATED with a much cooler TV spot, featuring a whole lot more previously unseen footage.

Advantages to being an Asgardian God: Nifty helmet, cool cape, useful accessories, and your own movie posters.  Lots of posters.  Seriously.  Marvel has unveiled even more posters for their forthcoming Norse rumblefest Thor.  The latest posters will be available at this weekend's Wondercon in San Francisco.  They feature Chris Hemsworth as Thor, in a rare appearance sporting his winged helmet, and Tom Hiddleston, Thor's scheming brother.  Check out the Gods of Thunder and Mischief right here, thanks to Marvel and Comingsoon.

To go from being an Asgardian Thunder God to a puny mortal in a matter of moments would be pretty disorienting, especially if it also entailed falling from one cosmic realm to another.  In the first official clip from Marvel and Paramount's Thor, you can see the titular deity, played by Chris Hemsworth, experiencing just such a dizzying fall from grace.  In the clip, a freshly arrived Thor is discovered by Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, and Kat Dennings.  Give it a looksie, and delight in Thor's righteous arrogance.

Ever since Samuel L. Jackson popped up in a post-credits scene in Marvel Studios' first venture Iron Man, the Marvel braintrust has peppered each release with universe building cameos and shout-outs, all in preparation for next summer's team-up The Avengers, directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind Joss Whedon.  One of the characters set to appear in The Avengers who we've yet to see is Hawkeye, played by two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner.  It's long been more or less an open secret that Hawkeye would debut with a short cameo in this summer's Thor, and his cameo was confirmed yesterday.  Not only will we see Hawkeye in Thor, but we'll also see him in action, using his signature bow and arrow.