The God of Thunder doesn’t look too happy. Well ever since Thor director Kenneth Branagh decided against taking the helm of a sequel to the Mighty Marvel movie hit that has rang up worldwide ticket sales of $449 million, Marvel Studios has been searching for a new director to guide Thor and his awesome hammer Mjolnir through another dazzling cinematic adventure destined to be post-converted to 3D. Although directors such as James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), Breck Eisner (The Crazies), Brian Kirk (Game of Thrones), and Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) have been mentioned in connection with the assignment, the latest word has Patty Jenkins, who directed Charlize Theron to a Best Actress Oscar in the 2003 drama Monster, possibly wielding the mighty megaphone and getting a snazzy parking spot at Disney Studios as the new director of Thor 2.

Jenkins has also directed episodes of Arrested Development and Entourage as well as the pilot for the hit AMC series The Killing. At present she is directing a segment of the TV movie Five, which follows the lives of people with breast cancer. Jenkins has not yet been confirmed as the director of Thor 2, but sources involved with the production have confirmed she has entered into talks with the producers of the film.

This is interesting news indeed. While the directors I mentioned in the first paragraph may have the advantage over Jenkins in being dab hands at orchestrating action sequences, Jenkins has more than proven her skill at working with actors, and a Thor sequel would be a feast of intimate drama and operatic adventure if placed in the right hands.

The first Thor was a great success as a piece of filmmaking because its director prioritized story and character over the action. Of course outside of the opening battle between Thor, Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three and the Frost Giants at Jotunheim the action sequences of Thor weren’t executed well. Then again the movie wasn’t intended to be a wall-to-wall action fest, it was meant to provide a strong introduction to the vast Thor universe and provide a bridge to next year’s The Avengers, but Branagh could have done with less use of Dutch angles. According to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, the sequel will be vaster in scope and action than the original. Thor 2, said Feige, “primarily be the journey of that character, of he and Jane Foster (played by recent Oscar winner Natalie Portman) and how the new dynamic with his father (Odin, a kingly performance by the great Anthony Hopkins) is working out, as well as what are the broader stakes for The Nine Worlds.”

I can’t help but feel torn about this development. Jenkins is great with actors, but can she handle the comic book spectacle that will play a huge role in the Thor sequel? What do think about this news?

The tentatively titled Thor 2 is set to be released July 26, 2013.

[Source: EW]