Try as they might, Rupert Sanders and Universal just can’t seem to lock down a lead for “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Top shelf guys like Viggo Mortensen and Hugh Jackman have passed, while on-the-rise folks like Joel Edgerton have been mentioned to join Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron in the film. They seem to be vacillating between a name brand and a fresher face, and it looks like they hope to get the best out of both worlds with their latest choice.
Variety reveals that Chris Hemsworth, who will be swinging a big hammer as “Thor” this weekend (and is already doing so overseas to decent box office numbers), is currently the frontrunner for the lead role in ‘Huntsman’ though no formal offers have been made just yet. The actor, who has moved from relative obscurity to recognizable pretty quickly, will have scheduling to sort out — he’s currently shooting “The Avengers” — but perhaps more interesting, we’d wager this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of projects the actor will get. He’s picking up good notices for his turn as the Norse god of thunder and it could see his asking price go up. The bid by Universal might be a play to lock him up before anything else crosses the desk of his agent, but might be playing it cool for now to see how this all turns out.
Needless to say, there is still time. The film isn’t due in theaters until December 21, 2012, but it has the unenviable task of coming six months after Tarsem Singh‘s Julia Roberts-powered fairy tale that arrives next summer. So, we’ll have to wait and see how it all turns out. But if Hemsworth turns it down, don’t be surprised if they then go to Taylor Kitsch, then Alexander Skarsgard, then Shia LaBoeuf, then Justin Bieber, then Kurt Russell, then Jackie Earle Haley, then Kirk Douglas, then Linda Hunt. Seems to match the random approach they’ve had so far.
