Thor’s hammer is called Mjolnir, but the director of the first Thor film, Oscar-winner Kenneth Branagh, apparently did not originally want to call it that. Writer Zack Stentz told Vanity Fair that Branagh “didn’t like the name Mjolnir because it’s difficult to pronounce.”
Stentz said Branagh asked the production team, “Do we have to call the hammer ‘Mjolnir’?” Branagh suggested calling it “Uru” instead, based on the metal it’s made out of.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige was said to be present at this meeting, too, and he put his foot down and stressed that it needed to be called “Mjolnir.” Otherwise, dedicated fans might get upset, Feige reportedly reasoned.
“‘Ken, the fanboys would string you up.’ ‘Alright. We won’t be doing that, then,'” Stentz said he recalls the conversation between Feige and Branagh playing out.
They stuck with Mjolnir, and the hammer played a key role across the entire Thor and Avengers movie installments. Hela destroyed Mjolnir in Thor: Ragnarok, but it wasn’t gone forever, as Jane Foster wields the weapon in Thor: Love and Thunder.
No new Thor movies have been announced, but given the popularity of the series, a fifth entry in the main series is expected. Whether or not Chris Hemsworth would come back, however, is unknown, as he has said he does not want to overstay his welcome.
Also in the Vanity Fair piece, Captain America actor Chris Evans revealed why he was originally hesitant to star in the series.
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