Kenneth Branagh up for Thor film adaptation directing gig

Kenneth Branagh is currently in negotiations to direct the Thor adaptation, the next Marvel property that will be turned into a live-action film, according to Variety. The film is scheduled to be released in 2010. If the deal happens, Branagh will become the latest in a string of directors, including Jon Favreau (Iron Man), Christopher Nolan (Batman) and Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), with indie roots, taking on big-budget comic movies.

Thor follows disabled medical student Donald Blake, who has an alter ego as the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor.

Branagh is currently on the London stage in the title role of Ivanov, and he’ll next be seen in the Richard Curtis film The Boat That Rocked, along with the Bryan Singer-helmed Valkyrie.