julieta holdren: 'Thor' Sequel Set For July 2013

Star Chris Hemsworth will return, but director Kenneth Branagh will not.
By Kara Warner

Chris Hemsworth in "Thor"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Given its mighty haul at the box office earlier this summer, Disney and Marvel Studios have officially green-lit a "Thor" sequel to be released July 26, 2013.

Deadline originally reported that Chris Hemsworth will return to play the titular God of Thunder, but director Kenneth Branagh will not be back, which Disney confirmed to MTV News.

When we spoke with Branagh prior to the film's release in May, the esteemed thespian seemed to be interested in continuing the story of the haughty Asgardian but was cautious about stating outright that he would be 100 percent in to direct a second "Thor" film.

"The prospect of [a sequel] is very tantalizing and fascinating," Branagh diplomatically told MTV News. "I loved working with this group of actors and had a fantastic experience working with everyone in the Marvel family."

At the time, Branagh mentioned the fact that getting a sequel off the ground would require major box-office success and support from the fans — which, with a $437 million worldwide gross, the fans and money talked.

Branagh also added that whether or not he was directing future installments, he was still a fan of the world of the Marvel Thunder God.

"When I first got involved with this, I was so thrilled. The first big, really exciting moment when I started really going through the comic books was all the descriptions of powers," he explained. "I loved it, amazing. People's body weights, how tall they were, what they could do, all of that kind of stuff. There's a vast amount of that from the Thor universe that I'd like to see."

Check out everything we've got on "Thor."

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