Portman Joins “Thor”

Actress Natalie Portman is dipping her toe back into the genre world.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, the actress has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming “Thor” movie.

Portman will play Jane Foster, who in early comic book lore was a nurse who became Thor’s first love. Marvel Studios said the character will be updated for the feature adaptation, with Foster being a doctor-scientist type.

Portman joins Chris Hemsworth as the title character and Tom Hiddleston as Loki, the god of mischief in the cast.

“Thor” is Marvel’s stab at an epic fantasy adventure, spanning from present-day Earth to the realm of Asgard. The story centers on Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. As punishment, Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans but once here, he 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.

“(Jane) is the human lead, so to speak, who helps ground the film in reality,” said Marvel’s Kevin Feige, who is producing. “We spend a lot of time amongst the other realms of the Nine Worlds of the Thor mythology and our human anchor to that.”

He added: “We wanted to avoid that syndrome of just because the hair is up and they’re wearing glasses it means they’re smart. … We wanted somebody that can have the chemistry that the best of our Marvel couples have had, whether it’s Tobey (Maguire) and Kirsten (Dunst) or Tony (Stark) and Pepper (Potts).”