"Thor is ALIVE-ive-ive-ive?" (Alternate subject line: "WARRIORS THREE... DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!")

[thehefner]

While I loved Thor, one of the biggest complaints I have is Volstagg. He was WRITTEN properly, but the actor was simply not up to the task, aside from one or two moments (most notably: "FOUND YOUUUU!" *waves*). Now, I'm no Thor buff, and my knowledge of the Warriors Three is limited. But the simple fact of the matter is that there was only one person in the nine realms who could have done justice to the Voluminous One:

I don't care if he's too old, Branagh should have been on that from day one! But eh, in a better world, Branagh himself should have played Fandral the Dashing. He's too puffy now, but combine the way he looked in Much Ado About Nothing with his vocal performance in Road to El Dorado... ahhh, what could have been.

Comments

[kiffie.livejournal.com]

I am so glad I'm not the only one who was mentally casting Brian Blessed. Or, should that be BRIAN BLESSED?

[sharrainchains.livejournal.com]

Wow. You are right. I never thought of it, but how could Branagh have failed to beg, plead, overpay, and do whatever else was need to get B.B.?

[surrealname.livejournal.com]

My guess would be the studio did not want him.

[surrealname.livejournal.com]

I seem to remember an issue of Wizard where they did one of their casting couch thingies for Thor and the warriors 3 were Blessed, Branagh, and someone else i can't remember.

[jackolantern.livejournal.com]

I don't think that he'd even be too old for the part, necessarily; he's got a terrifying number of "oldest person to do [adventury-type thing]" records under his voluminous belt. I mean, they put Sir Hannibal Lecter in a suit of armor, WTF.

[deadwalrus.livejournal.com]

Such a pity you don't have British radio, or you'd know what his Tarzan call sounds like. Truly magnificent, it is.

Of course, it occurred to me recently that The Blackadder is basically a more Earthly version of what Thor & Loki's early adulthood must have been like - if Loki was a little more stupid and Thor a little less aggressive. But Brian Blessed's King Richard is hands-down a young Odin, with sword, bellow and jollity included.

[deadwalrus.livejournal.com]

But then, other series' in the show's history have parallels as well - see also Rik Mayall's various Lord Flashearts for the perfect prototype of Fandral ("If You Want Something - Take It!"), or Tim McInnery's Captain Darling as a very Heimdall-like slave of protocol.