I am – Hercules!! Watching the gorgeous new “Rome” Blu-ray set over the weekend, I found myself pondering what the great Ray Stevenson, who played the fighty Titus Pullo, has been up to since that last “Punisher” movie. Turns out Stevenson’s been making “The Other Guys” with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and will now play the hammer wielder’s fighty and fat associate Volstagg the Valiant in “Thor.” Also just cast are Stuart Townsend (who’s inherited at least three other iconic roles over the last seven years – namely Dorian Gray, The Vampire Lestat and Carl Kolchak) as Fandral and Tadanobu Asano (“Mongol”) as Hogun the Grim. They join Chris Hemsworth (“Star Trek”) as Thor, Tom Hiddleston ("Cranford") as Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Natalie Portman as Jane. Sam Jackson may be back as Nick Fury too. Kenneth Branagh directs from a screenplay by Mark Protosevich (“Poseidon,” “I Am Legend”) and Zack Stentz & Ashley Miller (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Fringe”). Filming gets underway in January in anticipation of Paramount's May 20, 2011 release. Find all of Variety’s story on the matter here.

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