Is it my imagination or are superheroes carrying the load for Hollywood these days? Just consider the output from Marvel Studios. By my calculation they've averaged two superhero movies a year since 2000, a figure that will climb to four per year over the next four years, with an incredible five releases in 2010 alone!

Suffering from the pointless remake syndrome and a secondary dose of serialitis, Hollywood has needed a creative shot in the arm for ages, but are these movies the cure?

Marvel may appear to be a bottomless well of ideas and filmic inspiration and there’s no denying that its universe is populated by a wide range of characters in diverse settings but let’s be honest, the story lines and character development in superhero movies almost invariably follow the same tired pattern. The same can be said of DC Comics' superhero offerings.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been some excellent movies in this genre. Spiderman and the X-Men have spawned memorable movies (serialitis aside) and Batman Returns was truly outstanding, breathing new life into an ailing genre. But while some believe you can never have enough superhero movies, I’m not one of them. Yes, I am looking forward to The Dark Knight, but come on, there’s so much more interesting and original material out there to bring to the big screen! (Did someone mention Dan Simmon’s Hyperion Cantos, Michael Moorcock’s Elric, Terry Brook’s Shannara?)

Anyway, as always happens when I climb onto my high horse, I’ve been knocked off it, flat on my face, this time by the news that Marvel Comics' Thor is coming to the big screen as a live-action movie!

“It's very much a Marvel superhero story but against the backdrop of nothing you've seen before,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said, describing Thor as a “period fantasy in the vein of The Lord of the Rings”. (Which “period” might that be, Kevin?). I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a sucker for all things Norse and while I’d prefer someone like Neil Gaiman to give us his take on The Saga of the Volsungs, I’ll take what I can get. (SFFMedia recently had the opportunity to ask Neil if he was considering giving The Saga of the Volsungs the Beowulf treatment and he graciously humoured us with “I wouldn’t rule it out.”)

The Thor movie is due out in June 2010, six weeks after Iron Man 2. Matthew Vaughn, who brought us the gritty underworld thriller Layer Cake and the hugely entertaining fantasy, Stardust, was slated to direct but this no longer seems to be the case. According to Marvel, Vaughn’s “holding deal expired in December”. Which is a euphemism for what exactly? He doesn’t want to do it? Marvel doesn’t want him to do it? Isn't Hollywood where deals get made, and remade? This is a shame as Vaughn has a proven talent for balancing humour and horror, action, fantasy and reality.

So, in short, there's no director at the moment.

Mark Protosevich, who scripted I Am Legend, is currently fine-tuning the script for Thor. If I have a reservation with I Am Legend it's the upbeat ending (in contrast to Richard Matheson’s much grimmer source novel) so it’s reassuring to learn that this bit of Hollywood optimism was apparently introduced by producer, Akiva Goldsman, not Protosevich.

In Chicago's Daily Herald last December Protosevich had this to say on the topic of Thor: “It's going to be like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realising his true potential. It's the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god.”

If that’s the case, Protosevich is spot on when he goes on to say “I think it's going to surprise a lot of people.”

No kidding! A New Testament Thor? I can just see Thor laying aside his hammer and turning the other cheek. I seriously hope this comment from Protosevich is just an exceptionally poor analogy.

The latest noise on the web is that Brad Pitt is being considered for the role of Thor. Although this has the insubstantial feel of most industry rumours, for what it’s worth Pitt has my vote. The aggression, pride and anger, not to mention the sheer physical presence he demonstrated as Achilles in Troy, would translate perfectly to the God of Thunder.

We’ll keep you posted.

(Wikipedia has an excellent article on Marvel’s take on Thor and Norse mythology and you can always check out the Marvel Comics site.)

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