Hopkins Set To Play Odin in Thor, Adios Brian Blessed

Along with Chris Helmsworth and Tom Hiddleston, Brian Blessed was one of the earliest casting announcements for Kenneth Branagh's Thor in the role of chief Norse God Odin. Smiles on the faces of fanboys stretched around the world as they looked upon his bushy beard, bulk, baritone and Britishness in absolute approval. But then something happened.

Slowly but surely, Blessed's name was fading from the project. He vanished from IMDb and less and less was made of his appearance in the film. While there's been no official indication that he has lost the role, he has. And we know this because a replacement has been made: Anthony Hopkins.

Despite still being remembered primarily as one of the sickest and most depraved serial killers in cinematic history, Variety is now reporting that Hopkins will be take the role of Thor's father in the upcoming Marvel film.

To this I have one thing to say: what the fuck? There wasn't a fan on this planet who was disappointed by Blessed's casting, so why was he replaced? I don't hate the idea of Hopkins in the role, but it would be nice to let the fans know what is going on with the production. We have been led to believe since December that this man would be Odin, and it would be nice to know why that changed.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.