Thor, the mythological Norse god of thunder and one of the founding members of Marvel Comics' super-team, the Avengers, is expected to be one of the most complex -- and commercially risky -- comic-to-film adaptations in Marvel's planned lead-up to the Avengers feature film.
The intended release date for the film has already been pushed back, and there have been no shortage of cast rumors -- from Josh Hartnett or Natalie Portman portraying the evil trickster god Loki, to Alexander Skarsgård lifting the hammer in the Thor role -- but recently one more name has been added to the list: Charlie Hunnam of the FX series Sons of Anarchy. At the recent premiere of Mutant Chronicles, Hunnam was asked about the Thor rumor and he admitted that he had been called in for the role.
Superhero films were once thought of as cheap, "popcorn flicks," but with films such as Iron Man (2008) and The Dark Knight (2008) scoring record box office numbers while simultaneously courting Oscar buzz, the genre has come out of the shadows and into the Hollywood spotlight.
Still, the prospect of playing a larger-than-life character in spandex (or leather, armor, etc.) can be a daunting decision for any actor. About his film choices, Hunnam has said:
Well, I have a great deal of pride, and I care infinitely about what my peers think (of me). It could be my downfall, but I don't think it is -- Hollywood is run on perception, and if you stray off the path of what you want to do with your career, it's suicide. I have 60 years to make the money, but the choices I make in the next five years are really going to define my career.
Hunnam has appeared in Cold Mountain (2003), Green Street Hooligans (2005), and Children of Men (2006). He currently stars as Jackson "Jax" Teller on the FX series Sons of Anarchy.