Branagh in talks to direct 'Thor'

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Northern Irish actor-director Kenneth Branagh reportedly is in talks to direct the upcoming Marvel Comics superhero movie "Thor."

Branagh has starred in and directed "Henry V," "Dead Again," "Hamlet," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" and "Love's Labour Lost."

Variety.com said he is in negotiations to direct "Thor," which is about a disabled medical student who has an alter ego as the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor. The movie is slated for release in 2010.

The entertainment trade newspaper noted that, should Branagh sign on to the project, he would be the latest member of the club comprised of filmmakers with art house roots who recently have tackled comic-book franchises. Jon Favreau, Christopher Nolan, Ang Lee and Gavin Hood have all tried their hands at making big-budget action movies based on comic-book heroes.