Marvel‘s Thor star Chris Hemsworth may soon take on another iconic role, as the 41-year-old star is in discussions to portray Prince Charming in Disney‘s latest live-action venture. The project will be helmed by Wonka and Paddington director Paul King, with the filmmaker collaborating on the screenplay alongside Simon Farnaby and Jon Croker, according to Deadline.
The film, currently in development, remains largely mysterious in terms of storyline. While specific plot details remain under wraps, sources confirm to the outlet that the project “will not specifically be linked to Cinderella,” despite Prince Charming’s traditional association with that tale.
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The character of Prince Charming has appeared throughout literature and Disney’s own catalog, often serving as the romantic interest for various Disney princesses. However, his true Disney origins can be traced to Cinderella, where he appears as the titular princess’s love interest in the 1950 animated classic. The role has since become synonymous with Disney princess love interests, though the title “Prince Charming” specifically belongs to Cinderella’s prince.
This potential role would mark another significant collaboration between Hemsworth and Disney, following his decade-plus tenure as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor first appeared as the God of Thunder in 2011’s Thor and most recently reprised the role in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder and the second season of Disney+‘s animated series “What If…?”
Speaking about his future in the MCU earlier this year, Hemsworth told British GQ that any potential Thor return “would have to be tonally different” from his recent outings. “And we’d have to do something very drastic to keep people on their toes,” he explained, adding, “Otherwise it’s just the fatigue of those characters and those films, where people are like, ‘I’ve seen it.’ But I really wanna do some other stuff for a while.”
The Australian actor has indeed been expanding his repertoire of roles. His recent projects include portraying the villain Dementus in George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and voicing Optimus Prime in Transformers One. He’s currently filming the thriller Crime 101 for Amazon MGM Studios. Earlier this year, Hemsworth received recognition for his contributions to entertainment with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during the Furiosa promotional tour.
The Prince Charming project appears to follow Disney’s strategy of reimagining classic characters, similar to their approach with Cruella. The studio previously brought Cinderella to live-action in 2015, with Kenneth Branagh directing Lily James in the lead role and Cate Blanchett as the stepmother. This new project is expected to take a fresh approach to the character, offering a “sideways reinvention” of the classic prince.
Currently, a production timeline and release date have not been announced as the project remains in early development stages. Disney has declined to comment on Hemsworth’s potential involvement in the project.
