Heimdall Will Guard in Thor

As we gear up for "Thor" to begin production in January more and more names are being added to the cast. Last week Trades announced that Idris Elba (The Wire) has joined the cast. Elba will play the brother to Sif and sentry for Asgard, Heimdall. Find out more after the break...


Heimdall has always been a really interesting character in the world of Marvel's Thor. He watches over Asgard from the Rainbow Bridge called Bifrost, making sure no unwanted guests arrive. He has always been one of Odin's most trusted servants, one who has protected the city at all costs. Throughout the run of Thor, Heimdall has defended Thor and fought against him at the command of Loki (our villain), so pinpointing exactly how director Kenneth Branagh will use him could be tough, unless you've read the highly secretive script. Heimdall has also been used numerous times on Earth, so there is a potential that Dr. Donald Blake (Thor's human form) could see Heimdall in his human form on Earth.

As for Idris Elba, he would not be my first choice for the Norse God. Elba is a decent actor, who has been a ton of supporting roles over the years including The Unborn, RocknRolla, Prom Night, 28 Weeks Later, The Reaping and Buffalo Soldiers. Honestly, he should do fine in the role, he's just not the guy I think anyone would've pegged as Heimdall off the bat.

That said, the casting decisions that have been made by Marvel and director Kenneth Branagh so far are pretty out of the ordinary. They have selected primarily a no-name for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), as well as his villain Loki played by Tom Hiddleston. The rest of the cast includes Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Stuart Townsend as Fandral, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun and Jaimie Alexander as Sif. "Thor" is set to begin shooting in January in Manhattan Beach, California and is set for release May 20th, 2011. More news is sure to follow as it breaks...

Source: Heat Vision

In related "Thor" news, Natalie Portman told MTV that actress Kat Dennings will join the cast Marvel's Norse God of Thunder. Portman told MTV, "Kat Dennings is going to be in it with me and she's a good friend and an amazing actress, so I'm looking forward to that." While Portman did not explain exactly who Ms. Dennings will be playing, easy money is a co-worker of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) here on Earth.



What say you? Will Elba make a good Heimdall? Any reservations about Kat Dennings joing the action adventure? Strikeback...