Many critics were surprised when Paramount announced that Kenneth Branagh would direct “Thor.” Branagh made his name with a series of Shakespeare films, including “Henry V” and “Much Ado About Nothing.” After putting on screen the words of the greatest writer the world has known, why would he want to adapt a comic book? Money, perhaps: “Thor” had a production budget of $150 million. It’s made nearly $450 million worldwide. But reports are that Branagh declined the offer to make the inevitable sequel. Now Marvel, which owns the property, has just announced the director of “Thor 2”: Patty Jenkins.
That choice is a bigger surprise than the selection of Branagh was. “Thor” is now a big franchise — star Chris Hemsworth will revive the role in next year’s “The Avengers.” And Jenkins has only directed one feature film. Sure, “Monster” earned star Charlize Theron an Oscar. But it cost just $8 million to make. Jenkins has gone on to direct in the television world, but that’s still a far cry from the heights of a $150 million film.
Giving the assignment to Jenkins is also unexpected because of her gender. Big-budget blockbusters about men in tights are directed by other men. These action movies are made for boys, after all, as well as men reliving their youths. The audience during the weekend “Thor” opened was estimated to be about two-thirds male.
“Thor 2” will reach theaters Nov. 15, 2013. That gives Jenkins some time to figure out how to fill the shoes of a master.
You can see plenty of other masters on screen in the next two and a half weeks. Noir City DC, the film noir festival presented by the AFI Silver Theatre, returns this weekend.
Some of the best films ever made fall into the genre of dark crime stories made darker with a heavy dose of dangerous sexuality. “Sweet Smell of Success,” for example, is a cynical look at the press that remains relevant over 50 years after it was made. Otto Preminger’s 1944 “Laura” was one of the founding films of the genre and scored five Oscar nominations, with the beautiful Gene Tierney playing the doomed title character.
What really makes the annual festival so welcome, though, is the rarities it offers fans a chance to see. This year, three films are presented in new 35 mm prints — and none of them are available on DVD. The 1954 “Loophole” is described as a “B-film ‘Les Miserables,'” while 1947’s “High Wall” stars Audrey Totter as a psychiatrist who begins to believe that her patient, a brain-damaged war veteran who confessed to murdering his cheating wife, might be innocent. Robert Taylor, better known for 1951’s “Quo Vadis” and 1952’s “Ivanhoe,” plays the man who’s committed.
Some screenings will feature discussion afterward with Eddie Muller, the film historian who created the Film Noir Foundation, and foundation board member Foster Hirsch. The foundation’s proceeds will go toward its mission of finding and restoring rare film noir. The complete festival schedule can be found online at afi.com/silver.
Kelly Jane Torrance is The Washington Examiner movie critic. Her reviews appear weekly and she can be reached at [email protected].
