Too Much Rescheduling Can Make You Thor

Didn't know that Chris Hemsworth was a blond, didja?

When it comes to major summer releases, the projected dates are set out at least a year in advance because there are only a limited number of screen that can or will host particular movies on the hottest weekends of the year (literally and figuratively).  And it’s a cut-throat business, too, man:  the photons weren’t even settled in on the announcement that “Spider Man 4″ is on hold

as it awaits a “screenplay that doesn’t suck” when Paramount-Marvel announced that they’ll be moving the release of “Thor” up two weeks to that coveted May 6th timeslot.

Now, at the same time, “Thor” only begins shooting in a week.  Traditionally, even that two-week difference in over a year can create a massive amount of pressure to get the job done and done right.  In their favor is a brilliant slew of seasoned professionals, though:  Kenneth Branagh in the director’s chair working with Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Sam Jackson – and it just… well, I won’t say “gets better from there”, but I will say “presents an interesting potential that we can only hope will make a splash for the woefully under-represented Norse god of thunder”.

As another testament to the intense competition of those coveted release dates, within nanoseconds (we’re guessing) of “Thor” taking the “Spider Man 4″ spot on May 4th, “Pirates of the Carribean 4″ moved up to take Thor’s old May 20th spot.  This puts “Thor” in a bind if it can’t wrap production on time because the next available weekend might end up being no earlier than late June… and that loses a lot of profitable weekends, especially if it has to go up against another comic movie with possibly a wider fan-base, “Green Lantern“, due out June 17th.