THOR Director Kenneth Branagh Debunks Rumor That Daniel Craig Had Been Up For the God of Thunder Role

Kenneth Branagh directed the first Thor (2011) movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introducing audiences to Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder.

While those first two films were quite a bit more somber than the following movies and appearances in the MCU, they set up Thor’s story, and paved the way to solidifying Thor as a Marvel Avenger onscreen.

Hemsworth has been the perfect Thor across the years and films, but one rumor has floated around the fandom for years… could he have been played by James Bond actor Daniel Craig?

Branagh debunks that suggestion in a new interview with Business Insider, where he explained, “Not to my knowledge. I think we can officially debunk that. He’s an extraordinary actor, but at least under my watch, I didn’t see that happening.”

He went on, “To be honest, we needed someone who wasn’t bringing previous baggage, even if the baggage was brilliance and familiar roles. It felt as though we needed someone with a clean slate who was bringing a physical heft and an innocence.

“I think there’s a terrific naivety that’s part of this origin story with Chris. There’s a beautiful moment in the movie where he says under deceptive questioning by Loki while marooned on Earth, ‘Can I go home?’ And he does so with such vulnerability. I think he was very open, very fresh, and very alive to being this kind of clean slate,” Branagh explained.

The director added, “We knew Thor had to be physically impressive; he needed to be big, he needed to be young to have the kind of reckless, passionate, rebellious soul that was going to be part of our story.”

While Marvel and Branagh apparently never considered casting Craig as Thor back in Phase 1 of the MCU, the studio did ultimately find a different role for the Bond actor to play more than a decade later. Craig was cast as Thor’s half-brother, Balder the Brave, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Unfortunately, Craig exited the role reportedly due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, leading Marvel to replace the character with John Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic during reshoots.

via: SuperHeroHype