IDRIS ELBA JOINS CAST OF 'THOR': Marvel comic adaptation is being directed by Kenneth Branagh.

       Kenneth Branagh is directing the adaptation of the Marvel comic, Chris Hemsworth will star as Thor; Tom Hiddleston will play Loki, and Natalie Portman is the love interest, Jane Foster.      

       Elba will suit up as Heimdall, who, as the guardian of Asgard, stands on the BiFrost Bridge ready to defend the city from intruders.      

       Elba, who had a recurring role on "The Office," most recently appeared on the big screen in "Obsessed" opposite Beyonce Knowles. He next appears in the heist thriller "Taken" and will have a turn in Dark Castle's DC Comics adaptation "The Losers."