Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World is the upcoming sequel to Thor and the eighth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will be released on November 8, 2013 and will be available in 3D. Chris Hemsworth and much of the cast from the first film reprise their roles in the film. The film is being directed by Alan Taylor.

Plot
Marvel's Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's Thor and Marvel's The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos when an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Cast

 * Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson
 * Christopher Eccleston as Malekith
 * Tom Hiddleston as Loki Laufeyson
 * Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
 * Jaimie Alexander as Sif
 * Anthony Hopkins as Odin
 * Ray Stevenson as Volstagg
 * Zachary Levi as Fandral
 * Tadanobu Asano as Hogun
 * Rene Russo as Frigga
 * Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Algrim the Strong/Kurse
 * Idris Elba as Heimdall
 * Alice Krige as a to-be-confirmed character
 * Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig
 * Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis
 * Clive Russell as Tyr Odinson
 * Richard Brake as Captain of the Einherjar
 * Chris O'Dowd as a to-be-confirmed character
 * Jonathan Howard as Ian Boothby

Continuity and References to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

 * Jane slaps Loki stating that "That was for New York!", Loki and the Chitauri attacked New York in The Avengers.
 * Jane mentions The Avengers.

Production History
Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings are both contracted to reprise their roles in future installments in the Thor franchise. Chris Hemsworth will return as Thor Odinson in the sequel and Thor director Kenneth Branagh announced that he'll not return to direct the sequel.

On October 13, 2011 it was confirmed that Patty Jenkins would direct the film, but on December 2011, Jenkins exited the project, citing "creative differences".

The studio then selected Alan Taylor, best known for directing episodes of the HBO fantasy series Game Of Thrones, to direct the sequel.

The film will be shot in Iceland and London, England.

Trivia

 * Asgardian Sorceress Amora (The Enchantress) and Jotunheimian Warrior Skurge (The Executioner), long-time enemies of Thor and associates of Loki have been favorites for a Thor movie even going back to the initial planning stages of the first movie. They are now top contenders for the sequel.
 * Josh Dallas was supposed to return as Fandral but commitment with his TV show Once Upon a Time prevented him from returning. He was replaced with Zachary Levi who was the original choice for the role.
 * Mads Mikkelsen was considered for the role of Malekith, but he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Hannibal. Christopher Eccleston was cast instead.
 * Despite The Avengers and Iron Man 3 to be the last films with a Paramount logo based on the original five-movie deal between Marvel and Paramount that was made following Iron Man before Disney bought the distribution rights to those two films from Paramount after the Marvel acquisition by Disney. The Marvel Studios logo appears instead of any Disney logo.
 * Former Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston has been cast to play Malekith, who is presumed to be the primary villain.
 * Chris Hemworth has stated that, under Alan Taylor's direction, the second installment is to have a more Viking-influenced with more resemblance to Norse mythology when compared to the more science-fiction-themed first installment.
 * Though Tom Hiddleston reprises his role of Loki, the actor has stated that he is not expected to be a central villain and is rather seen taking responsibility for his crimes in The Avengers.
 * In August 2012, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was cast as Algrim the Strong / Kurse.
 * Kat Dennings will reprise her role as Darcy Lewis. Deadline.com reported that Denning's role was expanded from that of a comic relief sidekick.
 * In late 2011, Patty Jenkins was officially announced as director for this film. In December 2011, she backed out of the project due to "creative differences".
 * In Thor, the casket of Ancient Winters was held by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim; in the comics it was held by the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, in particular their leader Malekith the Accursed. In the film Loki holds the Casket and asks Odin if he is accursed, in homage to Malekith. Malekith himself appears in this film.
 * At the end of September, Jaimie Alexander was injured on the London film set: "It was raining, it was dark outside, it was like 5 in the morning - and I went down a metal staircase and slipped and slipped a disc in my thoracic spine and chipped 11 of my vertebrae. I knocked my left shoulder out of place and tore my rhomboid on my right side... It took me out of filming for a month!"
 * Natalie Portman was reportedly so upset that talks between Marvel and Patty Jenkins broke down that she refused to return for the sequel but she was forced to return due to her contract.
 * Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje described Kurse as "an amalgamation of a bull and a lava-like creature." For his role as Kurse, he underwent a daily three hours of make-up and 40-pound prosthetics: "I'm sure there will be a certain amount of CGI, but a good 80% was me in that suit."
 * The film was shot in England under the title "Thursday Mourning". In Norse mythology, Thursday was named after Thor ("Thursday" - Thor's Day).
 * In the comics, Malekith is scarred on the right side of his face; in this film it's on the left side.
 * As a nod to the comics, Malekith's armor has a star emblem in the center.
 * Carter Burwell was to write the score but left the film over creative differences and was replaced by "Iron Man 3" composer Brian Tyler.
 * Christopher Eccleston and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje worked together in the 2009 film, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra.
 * Tom Hiddleston describes Loki as a "firework" in this film: "Well, where next? What's he going to do? What level of remorse does he have? If he does have any remorse or regret, why? Who does he feel guilty in front of, and who does he laugh in the face of? What's his motivation? If he stands to win, what does he stand to win? As a character you've got all these new motivations, but as an actor I am absolved from playing hero or villain - I'm just the live wire. And that was more fun than I can possibly tell you."
 * Alan Taylor was so impressed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's performance as Kurse, he made Adewale do all his stunts because the stuntmen did not move the same way as he did.
 * The stone creature Thor fights is a Kronan, an alien being that appeared in Thor's first comic, "Journey Into Mystery" #83.
 * An aerial camera crew flew to Iceland to film the Dettifoss waterfall in Iceland (Europe's most powerful waterfall) from every angle, so it was used as a base for the waterfalls at Asgard.
 * There were about 30 hammers made for Thor of various weights for different uses. The main hammer was made from aluminum but it is replicated in different materials and weights, including a 'soft' version for stunts. Of the 30, five versions were used most often, including the 'lit hammer,' that emits light when lightning strikes.
 * A new language was created specifically for the Dark Elves. Christopher Eccleston (Malekith) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Kurse) had to memorize some of their dialogue in this alien script.
 * The filmmakers chose Iceland as the setting for the dark world of Svartalfheim, for its black volcanic landscapes.
 * The stunt men and extras playing the Dark Elves had to go through a training period where they practiced standing tall and proud since the dark elves are envisioned to be a noble people. Prosthetics designer David White helped out too by designing the helmet so that the eye line was slightly pulled down, forcing the actors to tilt their heads slightly up and back, which gave them a very proud, strong feel.
 * Filming at the famous Stonehenge historical site proved to be a challenge. After finally getting permission from English Heritage, the filmmakers found out that there were lots of rules and regulations associated with filming there. They could only be in amongst the stones outside of the normal visiting hours. So shooting had to take place early in the morning before opening, which only gave the film crew about three hours before they had to pull back for wider shots once the stones were opened to the public. Being a heritage site, no one was allowed to touch the stones or walk on any stones, so a lot of logistics had to be applied to the filming there.

Gallery

 * See: Thor: The Dark World/Gallery