tom_hiddleston_loki_thor_01.jpg

I don't mind when Hollywood gives major roles to unknowns.  Unknowns are exciting.  While everything from effects shots to art designs to above all, the story, can be spoiled months before a film hits theatres, it's hard to spoil a performance and knowing whether or not certain actors can deliver remains a question mark.  While the recently-cast Chris Hemsworth is known in Australia for his work on the soap "Home and Away", it was heavily rumored that Josh Hartnett would be playing his adversary Loki in Marvel's upcoming adaptation of "Thor" directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Not so, says Nikki Finke (who so obviously has a mole inside Marvel feeding her this stuff).  According to Finke, Loki will be another unknown: stage actor Tom Hiddleston.  He played Winston Churchill's son in HBO's The Gathering Storm but it's all about who you know and Hiddleston just happened to co-star with Branagh in a London stage production of "Ivanov" and in BBC miniseries, "Wallander".

At some point, this movie needs a star.  "Thor" is perhaps Marvel's toughest sell in assembling the Avengers.  He's based in Norse mythology, he doesn't have the name recognition of Marvel's A-list and he's a dude whose weapon is a giant hammer.  Either Marvel has one hell of a marketing strategy up their sleeve or there are some key supporting roles that are gonna have some names.