Nikki Finke, who has been giving us the dirt on the rumored cancellation of the Gossip Girl spin-off and the US remake of Absolutely Fabulous, is reporting that Marvel Comics has decided to cast Aussie newcomer (at least, around these here parts) Chris Hemsworth (George Kirk in JJ Abrams’s Star Trek) in their big screen movie adaptation of Thor. While many fans have been lobbying hardcore for Alexander Skarsgård (who stars in True Blood and to many is the living embodiment of the Viking God comic book hero) to play the role, Finke reports that Hemsworth has swooped in and secured the part:

Talk about spot-on casting. I’ve just learned that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and director Kenneth Branagh have chosen their THOR — and it’s Chris Hemsworth, who can currently be seen as “George Kirk” in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot and also just snagged the lead in Red Dawn for MGM on Thursday. The gorgeous 25-year-old Australian is a virtual unknown here in the United States. But he played “Kim Hyde” on 171 episodes of Home and Away, the successful Oz television series chronicling the lives and loves of the residents of Summer Bay, a small coastal town in New South Wales, Australia. Hemsworth is repped by partner and co-founder William Ward’s ROAR management and Eileen Feldman’s agency. Marvel Studios has scheduled Thor for a June 17, 2011, release. The way Chris Hemsworth got the part of Thor is one of those great Hollywood backstories that happens only once in a blue moon. Ward had found Chris during one of the manager’s many scouting trips to Australia. Ward brought him to Los Angeles and really put him out there to casting directors and production executives. As for the major agencies, I hear CAA passed on the meeting, Endeavor took it but passed on repping him, and ICM was interested but dragged their feet. But Eileen Feldman got his appeal immediately. Chris had read for the part of Thor but wasn’t given a test because a casting director had nixed him early on. I’m told Chris’ younger brother Liam (who’s also a ROAR client) then tested for the role of Thor, but Marvel’s Kevin Feige passed. Then, after a conversation with Ward (”You’ve got to reconsider Chris, he’s your guy”), Feige decided to let Chris read again. And once Marvel put him on tape, it was “Oh my god”. Branagh came to town last week and saw the Chris test and made the final casting decision today … Thor’s character, in a nutshell is the Viking god of thunder, who wears a winged helmet and speaks in King James Bible-style Olde English, as well as referring to himself in the third person as “the Odinson.” He wields a magic hammer, and can “fly” by throwing the hammer really hard and hanging on to it. Not only is here the movie Thor, but he’ll also be interacting later with the likes of Iron Man and Hulk. Marvel tapping Kenneth Branagh was a smart move to elevate the pic since the English helmer has so much experience with Shakespearean battle movies and has the ability to balance action with convincingly delivered old English.

I knew from the first moment I saw Hemsworth in Star Trek (he plays Kirk’s father in the movie’s opening) that he would go on to bigger roles. He deffo has that star quality and I was sure, at least looks wise, that he’d be able to get starring roles in future movies. It’s quite a feat to get cast as the lead in a big budget superhero movie, especially one that will tie in with a movie like Iron Man (both Iron Man and Thor are members of the superhero conglomerate The Avengers). I, too, thought that Skarsgård was a shoe-in for the role … but Hollywood is a wacky place. I think Chris Hemsworth can be Thor. I guess we’ll eventually find out.

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Marshall Mathers a.k.a. Slim Shady a.k.a. Eminem is back with a new album and, with the help of XXL magazine, has teamed up with the Marvel Comics hero The Punisher in a new digital comic book where the men battle the forces of evil in Detroit, MI. This special edition issue of The Punisher is titled Kill You and part 1 will be released inside the May 5th issue of XXL magazine, part 2 will be released online HERE. Here is what the cover of the Kill You issue of this comic book looks like and some deets on its creation:

Slim Shady — yes, the real Slim Shady — is now riding shotgun with Frank Castle. Above you see the cover for a digital comic book that teams up mercurial rap superstar Eminem with the heavily armed hard-case from the Marvel Universe, the Punisher. The issue was written by Fred Van Lente and drawn by the sublime Spanish artist Salvador Larocca, and the process came with a lot of guidance from Eminem and his manager, Paul Rosenberg, both of whom had intense interest in the project. The gun-toting partnership started with an XXL magazine photo shoot where the editors suggested that Eminem be presented as a character in the Marvel Universe, which is so red-hot in Hollywood. Mr. Mathers, being an intense comics fan and collector, liked the idea a lot, as did Marvel. The comics company expected Eminem would take the predictable route and ask for claws. “We thought he might want to do something as Wolverine since the movie is coming out right now, or maybe Spider-Man or one of the classic big names, and we were pleasantly surprised when he said he wanted to do a story with the Punisher,” said Michael Pasciullo, vice president of merchandising and communications at Marvel Entertainment. “He’s a true fan, and it showed throughout the process” … No word yet on if there are plans for a print edition of the collected story, which is set in Em’s hometown of Detroit. Back from a three-year hiatus, Eminem has a new album, “Relapse,” which hits stores on May 19. This is not the first time he’s revealed himself as a fan of comics — he memorably dressed up as Robin the Boy Wonder for his music video “Without Me,” although he couldn’t coax mentor Dr. Dre to don the cape of Batman. The 36-year-old rapper asked that either John Romita Sr. (who had a hand in designing the character way back in 1974) or the stylish Larocca handle the penciling for the issue, which “really showed how much he knows and cares about Marvel and its history,” Pasciullo said. “He also requested that the villain be Barracuda, and that’s when we knew we were dealing with a real fan,” Pascuillo said. “How many people know Barracuda? I think this was really fun for him, and I know it was fun for us.”

This is a very fun little tie-in, one I’m sure that Eminem got a huge kick out of. I know that I would *love* to be drawn into a comic book, that would seriously be the coolest thing ever. That this story is set in Detroit is just icing on the cake. I’m not a reader of XXL magazine but I deffo plan on picking up this issue for the express purpose of getting this special edition comic book.

And speaking of comic books, don’t forget that TODAY is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! Folks here in the US (and in some participating countries) can visit their friendly neighborhood comic book store to pick up one free comic book today. Click HERE to find a participating comic book store near you and get your ass out there and get a free comic book today. I’ll prolly be heading out to The Golden Apple on Melrose Ave. here in LA (I hear William Shatner will be there in person this afternoon). I’m not sure which book I’m going to get yet … what are YOU planning on picking up today?

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Yesterday was a cloudy, dreary day here in SoCal … which is perfect weather for reading :) Because I am planning on attending the midnight showing of the big screen adaption of Watchmen on Thursday night, I really wanted to make sure that I read as much of the Watchmen graphic novel before then. I had already read the first 3 or 4 chapters and sat down to read for most of the day:

I managed to get thru chapter 11 with only the final chapter to go. Yeah, it’s a really great read. It’s so smart and so really intelligent … it’s very much a nice change of pace from the usual drivel that I entertain myself with these days ;) I totally understand why so many folks are such devoted fans of the graphic novel. I’m anxious to read how the whole saga ends … I hope to have it completed this afternoon.

David and I are planning a little grocery store outing later on … which is always fun. It’s rainy today but the temps aren’t too bad. I’m just dying for Summer to get here already :)

President-elect (soon to be President) Barack Obama is featured on a variant cover of an upcoming issue of The Amazing Spider-Man comic book in celebration of his upcoming inauguration as the 44th President of the United States of America. Since Obama collected the Spider-Man comics when he was a kid, Marvel Comics thought it was only fair to honor the soon-to-be new prez by putting him on the cover of his very own book … er, along with Spider-Man, that is ;)

Spider-Man has a new sidekick: The president-elect. Barack Obama collected Spider-Man comics as a child, so Marvel Comics wanted to give him a “shout-out back” by featuring him in a bonus story, said Joe Quesada, Marvel’s editor-in-chief. “How great is that? The commander in chief to be is actually a nerd in chief,” Quesada said. “It was really, really cool to see that we had a geek in the White House. We’re all thrilled with that.” The comic starts with Spider-Man’s alter-ego Peter Parker taking photographs at the inauguration, before spotting two identical Obamas. Parker decides “the future president’s gonna need Spider-Man,” and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor. Obama thanks him with a fist-bump. Marvel comics have featured most presidents, but generally in walk-on roles, Quesada said. “I think President Nixon might have appeared on the cover, but not in a good way,” he said. Obama has said that as a child, he collected Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comic books. His Senate website used to have a photo of him posing in front of a Superman statue. The Obama story is a bonus in Marvel Comic’s Amazing Spider-Man 583, available in comic book shops nationwide on Jan. 14 for $3.99 and is expected to sell out, with half the covers devoted to Obama.

OMG, how awesome is this? The story sounds a bit cheesy but I love the fist pump and I love that Obama is honored in such a pop culturally way. While appearing on the cover of Spider-Man is kinda cool, Obama has already made his comic book debut. Before the election, over the summer, both he and Senator John McCain appeared in their own comic books that told their life stories leading up to the election. At this rate, Obama might get his own comic book series somewhere down the line ;) I already have my copy of the first Barack Obama comic book … but I’m gonna have to get my hands on this Spider-Man comic, too. Will I be seeing any of ya’ll at the comic book store come January 14?

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Pink reader Neptune gave me the head’s up that a beloved character in pop culture lore has passed away this week. In a new comic book series titled Batman R.I.P. the famed caped crusader is shot and killed — bringing to an end the long life of billionaire playboy/superhero Bruce Wayne/Batman! I, for one, am not only shocked at this sad news but am also aghast that this is the way that my fave fictional hero of all time has, apparently, met his end:

Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne has apparently been killed off in the latest issue of the superhero comic. Scottish writer Grant Morrison revealed earlier this year that Wayne would either retire or be killed in a clash with crime syndicate Black Glove. The story – Batman RIP – sees Batman shot by villain Simon Hurt, who claims to be Wayne’s father Dr Thomas Wayne. Morrison told BBC News there would be “a lot more twists and turns to come” before the story was finally resolved. “It’s great that it stirs up such passion,” he said. “Nobody loves Bruce Wayne more than me, and I hope everybody understands that this is part of the great ongoing adventure of Batman.” The caped crusader first appeared in comics in 1939, and has spawned a 1960s TV series and a host of films. The “death” of Wayne’s father – shot alongside his mother by a robber when he was a boy – was the catalyst for the young industrialist to become the vigilante crime fighter Batman. In the final scene, Hurt tries to escape in a helicopter after shooting Batman. But the wounded superhero throws himself at the helicopter, causing it to crash. The comic story ends without a frame showing Wayne’s body, however. Morrison, from Glasgow, told BBC News on Friday that the next two issues of the Batman comic would see a “summing up” of the superhero’s career before “the absolute, final fate” of Bruce Wayne was revealed in a sister publication, Final Crisis, in January. “It’s the end of a story that goes back to 2005, a story to tell the definitive story of Batman,” he explained. “We wanted to see what would happen if the most evil, richest people in the world decided they didn’t like Batman, and decided to take him apart piece by piece and destroy him. “And then have Batman come back, and we could see why he’s so great,” added Morrison. The storyline included clues which dated back to Batman comics from 40 years ago, he added. Wayne may be dead, but publisher DC Comics shows no sign of bringing to an end the Batman franchise. Frontrunners to take over as Batman include Tim Drake, who has been Robin since 1991, and Dick Grayson – the original Boy Wonder – who now protects Gotham City as Nightwing.

Insane! I cannot believe that anyone would want to kill Bruce Wayne :( You may recall that in the late 80’s, Batman’s sidekick Robin — Jason Todd (who took over for Dick Grayson when he retired as Robin) — was killed in the comic book series, only to be replaced by Tim Drake (the current Robin). Back then I thought that was taking things too far. In the mid-90’s, right around the time that Superman was “killed” in the comic books (only to return to life, since Superman can’t really ever die), Batman was almost killed when he had his back broken by Bane (Batman was temporarily replaced by Azrael while he recuperated from his injuries). It seems that time has finally run out for Bruce Wayne this time, tho. Even tho Batman will live on (with the mantle falling to either Dick Grayson [the original Robin] or Tim Drake [the current Robin]) no one will ever be able to replace Bruce Wayne as the Batman. It’s a sad day in comic book lore, y’all … let’s pour one out for the dearly departed Bruce Wayne.

[Source, thanks Neptune]

Yesterday afternoon I made my way out to The Golden Apple comic book store on Melrose Ave. here in LA for an in-store appearance by Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia and comic artist Tim Sale for the launch of their new comic book series Rest. I was very happy to see that a few hundred folks also came out for the comic book release event. Here are a few pics from yesterday’s fun:

When I arrived, the line of folks who came out for the event stretched down the street and around the block, it was very cool. I was fortunate enough to get to hang out with Milo’s best friends Dino and Russ (some of you may know that they, along with Milo, are the founding members of the Divide Social Club) for the duration of the in-store appearance. I got to meet a few Pink readers and, after the event was finished, I also got to snap a pic with Milo himself. After the jump, check out a few more fun pics including a VERY COOL VIDEO of Milo’s arrival at yesterday’s event …

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Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia is launching his very own comic book this month and he wants you to come out and buy a copy personally from him. OK, well, mebbe you won’t be purchasing it from him exactly but he will be on hand at The Golden Apple comic book store here in LA this Saturday evening for the launch of his comic book series Rest … I’m sure he’ll also be on hand to sign a few autographs and take a few photos. Here are a couple promo flyers for the event with all the necessary info for this weekend’s in-store appearance:

REST RELEASE EVENT
Saturday October 25,2008 at 5:00pm
MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM OF THE NEW COMIC BOOK REST!

WE WILL HAVE A GOLDEN APPLE VARIANT COVER TO ISSUE #1 AVAILABLE AT THE EVENT ONLY! IT WILL FEATURE A PHOTO OF MILO VENTIMIGLIA AND A COLORED DRAWN BACKGROUND FROM TIM SALE!

You may recall that Milo was on hand at the New York Comic Con earlier this Spring to promote his new comic book series Rest … and finally, the series is being released. This event is not to be missed … I am gonna do my best to make it out to The Golden Apple to get my Rest comic #1 signed by the man himself. Mebbe I’ll see some of you there!!!

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