5 Actors Who Should Have Been Cast as Thor

So we’ve gotten our first glimpse of Thor in the official movie trailer. I personally was underwhelmed with Chris Hemsworth’s performance. Is he the best choice for this role? No. He’s just the cheapest. Even though it’s too late to make any kind of campaign, I still think it’s worth considering who would have been a great Thor if Marvel wasn’t watching their purse strings for the budget of the upcoming Avengers movie.

5. Paul “Triple H” Levesque – One area where Hemsworth falls short is the physique. He has an okay body, but no more than the average actor who goes through six months of rigorous bodybuilding. Thor’s a freakin’ god. It takes more than a six-pack to carry that off. That’s why I’d have gone with Triple H. Okay, not the greatest actor, but physically, he would have carried himself better as Thor. Imagine seeing that guy throwing a hammer. Plus, he probably would have come cheap.

4. Jason Statham – Another problem with Hemsworth is that he doesn’t have the attitude. Even the original Norse legends of Thor describe him as hot-tempered. Hemsworth looks like an eighteen-year old mad about being sent to his room. That’s where I would have Jason Statham come in. If there’s one thing Jason Statham can do is look like he’s gonna go buck wild. Check out his performance in In the Name of the King to see the medieval butt-kicking he would have brought to Thor. He would capture that berserker Viking I’m-gonna-chop-off-your-knee-caps attitude. Of course, he would need a blonde wig, though.

3. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – Of course, the best choice would be someone who has both the physical presence and also the warrior mentality. To get someone with the physique and the attitude, I think the Rock is on the short list. Even though his recent movie roles have made him kind of warm and fuzzy, we know from his years strutting on the mat in the WWE, and his role as The Scorpion King that he can do anger and attitude. Of course, being Samoan, it would take quite a bit to pass Johnson off as a Nordic Viking. Then again, who ever said that the ancient Vikings didn’t make a stop in Samoa?

2. Russell Crowe – As much as Hemsworth in the trailer was pronounced a powerful fighter, does anyone believe Hemsworth as a soldier? Thor is supposed to be an ancient Norse warrior, a god who’s lived for thousands of years and fought in countless battles. Hemsworth looks like he just got out of high school. I think Russell Crowe could have done a better job. He showed himself as the ultimate warrior in Gladiator. I would have loved to see Crowe swinging the mighty hammer Mjollnir. All he would need is to bulk up, grow out his hair, and dye it blonde.

1. Brad Pitt – As long we’re dreaming, let’s throw in Brad Pitt. He would be my number one pick. Not only can he pull off the blond studly Nordic role (tell me he doesn’t look like Thor in this pic from Troy), but he’s also a real tough-guy when he wants to be (check out Snatch to see his warrior side). And he can actually, you know, do that thing that actors are supposed to do called “acting?” This would, of course, have been phenomenal casting, on par with Robert Downey Jr. for Iron Man. Pitt’s name actually did float around for a while as a possible contender for playing Thor. If it had gone through, it would have changed the whole game. And forced Marvel to open their wallets.

What do you think of the list? Any others you can mention to play Thor?