Matthew Vaughn To Helm Thor

Director to wield Mjolnir?

by | August 8, 2007 | Comments

Ain’t It Cool News recently caught up with director Matthew Vaughn for a chat about projects past (Layer Cake), present (Stardust), and future — including a possible film adaptation of…Marvel Comics’ Thor?

Vaughn’s name has been floated in connection with the Thor film for several weeks now — since it was reported that Mark Protosevich had written a script — but this interview marks the first time the director has spoken publicly about the project. And judging from the following quote, Vaughn’s been taking classes at the Shia LaBeouf School of Cagey Non-Denial:

I’ve been discussing it with Marvel. I really like the Marvel guys, and it would be good to make. We’re trying to find something to work on together. If THOR is going to happen, I don’t know. I’m seeing them again next week. And, the other problem is the whole strike thing. It’s, like, we’d like to make a movie before the strike, so whether THOR could be the one, I don’t know.

The strike Vaughn is referring to is the seemingly inevitable breakdown in negotiations between the studios and the Writers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, and Screen Actors Guild, all approaching the end of their current contracts. If a project looks like it’ll be in development past the strike zone — and Thor almost certainly fits that description — it’s likely to stay on the shelf until new agreements are hammered out.

And speaking of hammers, for those unfamiliar with the mallet-wielding ancient Norse god, the comic-book version of Thor has enjoyed a long and storied history in the Marvel Universe, from his 1962 debut to a recent J. Michael Straczynski-led reboot. It’s unknown which segment of the character’s history will be the focus of Protosevich’s script.

Source: Ain’t It Cool News