Following news that most of the cast of Thor has now been confirmed to return for the sequel, including Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba among others, Kat Dennings, who played Natalie Portman’s cute but annoying assistant Darcy Lewis, will also return in Thor: The Dark World, according to Deadline.
When I heard this, I had slightly mixed feelings. Dennings didn’t contribute much in Thor besides some comic relief, and having her absent in the sequel would be no travesty. Her character Darcy did not even appear in the comics, so excluding her certainly wouldn’t have caused any major rifts in the Thor universe.
All that said, the selection of Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor as Kenneth Branagh’s replacement should get people excited. He’s already said to be taking a more gritty approach to the material, filming in Iceland rather than relying on CGI to create the Svartalfheim realm of the Dark Elves (I hope I didn’t completely confuse everyone who has never read the Thor comics).
How Kat Dennings’ character will figure into this otherworldly approach is a mystery, but considering everything else Thor: The Dark World will have to offer, she probably won’t destroy the film. Loki is coming back after his defeat in The Avengers, Christopher Eccleston is playing a new villain, and the stylistic changes might really make the Thor universe shine.
What do you think? Is Thor: The Dark World shaping up to be a solid sequel? Let us know in the comments.
