The new issue of Empire magazine features Marvel Studios’ Thor on the cover and new photos from the May 6, 2011 release.

Clark Kent says: You guys get to see it before it hits newstands after the jump.

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The Kenneth Branagh-directed adaptation stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Josh Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg and Colm Feore.

Clark Kent says: Check out some more images below:

Idris Elba, who can be seen in Takers this weekend, talked to USA Weekend about playing Heimdall in Thor and mentioned how many Marvel Studios movies he’s committed to appearing in.

Clark Kent says:

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You just finished your stint filming Thor as the Asgardian warrior Heimdall. How was that?
It was dope. It was an interesting genre of film to make. I had never done comic book stuff, so that was really great.

What was the coolest part?
Just the bigness of the show. It’s so epic, these huge sets were just amazing to look at. And they really pay attention to detail. When you read the comics, you see all the drawings, and to actually see them in real life, it’s like, “Whoa!”

Do you see yourself doing another superhero character or are you good with the crime dramas?
I have a deal with the Marvel Studios team, a four-picture commitment. I’m sure I’ll be back in something cool.

Clark Kent says: A four-picture deal, eh, Idris? Could ‘Blade‘ be a possible reboot for the newest Marvel signee? Check out this story from Comic Book Movie by clicking HERE!

While Marvel Studios is moving full steam ahead with Kenneth Branagh’s Thor and Joe Johnston has been all over the place talking about his The First Avenger: Captain America this past weekend, there’s still one very elusive missing piece to the Avengers puzzle, and that would be… Ant-Man!

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A movie about the diminutive Avenger, Dr. Hank Pym, who is in fact one of the charter members of the team, has been in the works for some time. In fact, Edgar Wright was on hand at that very same Marvel Studios Comic-Con panel back in 2006 when Jon Favreau and Louis Letterier were first talking about their upcoming projects Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

When Disney bought Marvel, there were some rumors Pixar might take over the project, but those were swiftly denied by John Lasseter, so that puts Ant-Man back into Wright’s hands, having developed the project with Joe Cornish quite a bit before shifting his focus to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Apparently, Stan “The Man” Lee, the co-creator of Ant-Man, met with Wright for lunch today, something that Lee proudly recapped on his Twitter feed with two intriguing tweets…

Clark Kent says: To see what he had to say, head over to SuperHeroHype by clicking here!

Variety reports that Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Coulson in Iron Man and the upcoming Iron Man 2, will reprise his role for Thor as well.

Clark Kent says: That’s a really smart move on Marvel’s part. Details after the jump.

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Coulson is an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D). In the Marvel Studios films, Samuel L. Jackson plays S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury, who will make multiple appearances as well.

Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7 and Thor is now filming for a May 6, 2011 release.

The Kenneth Branagh-directed adaptation stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Josh Dallas, Jaimie Alexander, Idris Elba, Colm Feore, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard and Adriana Barraza.

Screen Rant talked to actor and motion capture actor (“Driver” and “God of War” game series) Joe Gatt about his role in director Kenneth Branagh’s Thor.

Clark Kent says: I’m still not a huge Thor fan, but I can’t wait to see how this adds on to ‘The Avengers’ hype.

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Gatt revealed that he’s “playing a bad guy with a lot of action.” Asked if he had any scenes with the God of Thunder, he revealed that “my character gives him a lot of grief.”

Gatt added that his “costume is awesome and [I] get some seriously mean weapons!!!!”

He also said that “the sets are huge and truly beautiful, some of the best [I]‘ve ever seen. All the characters have amazing costumes. The designers have done an extraordinary job at maintaining the traditional Marvel looks all the fans are expecting, but adding their own new style.”

Marvel Studios just announced that filming has begun for Thor.

Clark Kent says: You can see the announcement after the jump.

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Marvel Studios has commenced principal photography on the highly anticipated feature film Thor directed by Kenneth Branagh. In Thor, Chris Hemsworth portrays the title character with Tom Hiddleston in the role of Thor’s brother Loki, and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. Additionally, the studio has cast Academy Award® winning actor Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Renee Russo as Frigga, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, Josh Dallas as Fandral, Jaimie Alexander as Sif, Idris Elba as Heimdall, as well as Colm Feore, Kat Dennings and award-winning actor Stellan Skarsgård. The film is slated for release in theaters domestically on May 6, 2011 via Paramount Pictures which will also release the film on a worldwide basis.

The epic adventure Thor spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

The screenplay for Thor was penned by Mark Protosevich as well as Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz, and Don Payne. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige will produce the film. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel, and Marvel Studio’s Co-President, Louis D’Esposito, will executive produce.

In addition to Thor, Marvel Studios is also scheduled to release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including Iron Man 2 on May 7, 2010, The First Avenger: Captain America on July 22, 2011, and The Avengers on May 4, 2012.

Clark Kent says: If this is truly the end of the world, at least we’re going to go out with some good movies to watch!

According to The Associated Press, Irish actor Stuart Townsend has left the production of Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, in which he had been cast in the role of Fandral, one of the Warriors Three, over creative differences.

Clark Kent says: This isn’t the first time Townsend’s been replaced. See more about this after the jump.

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He has already been replaced by virtual unknown Joshua Dallas, who recently appeared in the horror sequel The Descent: Part 2 (still unreleased in the States) and has a part in the George Lucas produced Red Tails.

The change in cast happened last week, just as the film was about to start shooting on Monday, and it’s the second last minute replacement Townsend has faced, after being replaced by Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in the ‘Lord of the Rings‘ trilogy in a similar situation.

Clark Kent says: Josh Dallas, Viggo Mortensen — is it a bad omen for Townsend or what? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Oscar-nominated actress Adriana Barraza (Babel, Drag Me to Hell) is in negotiations to join the cast of Marvel Studios’ Thor.

Clark Kent says: Ms. Barraza was stellar in both ‘Babel’ and ‘Drag Me to Hell,’ I hope the same can be said for ‘Thor’.

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Barraza joins a large cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard, Stuart Townsend, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings and Rene Russo. To be directed by Kenneth Branagh, the big screen adaptation is tentatively scheduled for a May 6, 2011 release, depending on what happens to Spider-Man 4.

At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Clark Kent says: This is definitely shaping up to be a must-see movie… even though I’m not a big Thor fan.

With yesterday’s announcement that Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 will not start production in time for its planned May 5, 2011 release, other studios are looking to grab some of those dates for their own tentpoles. Making that rumored delay official is the news that Marvel Studios and Paramount will be releasing Kenneth Branagh’s Thor on Spider-Man’s original release weekend, kicking off the summer on May 6, two weeks earlier than its original release plan.

Clark Kent says: I was never really into Thor like that, but the cast is shaping up to be something big. Marvel isn’t looking to battle with its fellow creation, but a little friendly competition couldn’t hurt. More after the jump.

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According to Variety, Sony hasn’t abandoned the date yet and still hopes to get Spider-Man 4 done in time, but Paramount has decided to not wait and see what Sony does before grabbing that date themselves. They suggest that if Sony decides to keep that date then Thor will move again, although it’s doubtful they can get May 20 back again.

At this point, Sony hasn’t announced a new release date for Spider-Man 4. July 4th that year has been held for Michael Bay’s Transformers 3 followed two weeks later by the “Harry Potter” finale and then The First Avenger: Captain America, which hasn’t even announced its cast yet, the following week. (Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern has already grabbed June 17, potentially making it one of the busiest summers for comic book and superhero movies in some time.)

Clark Kent says: Check out the CineFOOLS reports that Thor will start filming this Friday!

Already featuring one of the most eclectic casts for any Hollywood feature, superhero-related or otherwise, Kenneth Branagh’s Thor has found its Frigga in the form of Lethal Weapon and Ransom star Rene Russo.

Clark Kent says: She never really did it for me in either movie. Russo always found a way to blend in instead of stand out in the aforementioned roles. More about her role in ‘Thor’ after the jump.

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For those who failed Norse Mythology in elementary school (or didn’t think of just reading the Marvel Comics in order to get better grades in class), Frigga is Odin’s wife, the Queen of Asgard and stepmother to The Mighty Thor!

Thor starts shooting in January for a May 20, 2011 release.