Actor Kenneth Branagh returns as Inspector Kurt Wallander, the moody Swedish detective created by mystery writer Henning Mankell, for three new 90-minute Wallander stories on Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS, starting September 9^th.  In Season 3, the depressed but fascinating cop tries to improve his disposition, while contending with torture killings, dashed romance, homicidal do-gooders and a resentful grown-up daughter.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, Kenneth Branagh talked about what he thinks makes Kurt Wallander one of the most popular detectives in the world, what fans can expect from this third series of movies, how having a woman in his life and some colleague changes at work affect the character, and that he’s hoping to do a fourth series of three films next year.  He also talked about the new Jack Ryan film – an origin story that allows the audience to understand how Jack Ryan (played by Chris Pine) develops into a CIA analyst – which he is both directing and playing the villain in, said that he expects to shoot from the beginning of September until Christmas, and that he thinks it’s unlikely he will shoot in either IMAX or 3D, but that he would like to do an IMAX 3D Shakespeare film.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

In Series 2 of Wallander, Kenneth Branagh returns to PBS’s Masterpiece: Mystery, premiering on October 3^rd, as detective Kurt Wallander, a man who battles crimes and his own demons, in the rural yet brutal seaside town of Ystad, Sweden.

Based on the novels by best-selling author Henning Mankell, the producer/star won a BAFTA for Best Actor for his portrayal of the moody, brilliant, intuitive and troubled man. Wallander continues his relationship with Masterpiece, which goes back eight years to Fortunes of War, and has been so successful that Series 3 is already in the works, scripts are currently being written and the hope is to shoot it a year from now.

Prior to the panel for Wallander at Wednesday’s PBS portion of the Television Critics Association Press Tour, it was announced by the network that, although Kenneth Branagh was taking time out to answer some press questions in support of the show, he would not be able to stay after the presentation for any follow-ups, as he is currently very busy prepping for a studio screening tonight of his latest directorial effort, the epic Marvel Comics feature film Thor, which hits theaters on May 20, 2011. Check out what he had to say after the jump: