In continuing with his casting of actors who are mostly unknown in the United States, Thor director Kenneth Branagh has cast boom-voiced actor Brian Blessed in the role of Odin, father of Thor and Loki, as well as All-Father of the Norse afterlife, Valhalla.

Blessed is perhaps best known for his role as Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon, but has appeared in some well-known movies such as: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as Lord Locksley, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as Boss Nass, and Disney’s Tarzan as the villain Clayton.

So far, Branagh has only cast unknowns with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and now Blessed as Odin. Again, Thor is a comic that used a lot of Old English dialogue, so Branagh has brought in the best actors to perform that kind of style. On the other hand, will the lack of star-power in this Marvel summer blockbuster affect its box office take?

These are the things that are making Thor an interesting project to watch. I have a feeling this means we’ll see a really well-made, well-acted superhero movie that may not make quite as much as others do.

Thor will be released on May 20, 2011 and is part of the massive Marvel slate that will end with a gathering of heroes in 2012’s The Avengers movie.

[Source: Bleeding Cool via /Film]