Marvel Looking at 2 Directors, New Screenwriters for Thor 2
Posted 12.10.11 by Ryan
Marvel has already scheduled a Nov. 15, 2013 release date for Thor 2, but what it can't seem to clear up is the sequel's director. Kenneth Branagh, director of this summer's Thor, exited the sequel just as Marvel announced it, and, most recently, director Patty Jenkins (Monster) exited the movie over "creative differences." With Thor 2's release date staring back at them, Marvel has moved swiftly, already lining up two director prospects.
THR reports that Marvel is considering Alan Taylor (Palookaville) and Daniel Minahan (Series 7: The Contenders) for the Thor 2 director's chair. Taylor and Minahan have been working on TV shows most recently, with both directors separately helming episodes of HBO's Game of Thrones. Prior to Jenkins, Marvel's top choice for a Thor 2 director was reportedly Brian Kirk, also a Game of Thrones director. So, clearly, Marvel is a fan of the sword and sorcery TV show.
At the Thor press conference, Marvel president Kevin Feige revealed that Thor co-screenwriter Don Payne was "working on story ideas for a Part Two," and was later confirmed to be writing the sequel's script. With Payne's draft finished, the report claims that Marvel is looking for a new screenwriter to take over, assembling a list of possible writers that includes John Collee (Master and Commander: Far Side of the World), Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan, TNT's Falling Skies), and Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, Silent Hill). Sheldon Turner (Up in Air) has also been discussed.
Thor 2 will see the return of Chris Hemsworth as the god of thunder, Tom Hiddleston as Thor's duplicitous half-brother Loki, and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Thor's love interest. Feige has said that the sequel will will focus on Thor and Jane's relationship, Thor's "new dynamic" with his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), and "the broader stakes for The Nine Worlds."