‘Thor 2′ loses its villain to Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter has really has it out for Marvel comic book movies!

Earlier this week news broke that "Daredevil" director David Slade ("Twilight Saga: Eclipse") had dropped out of the reboot project due to scheduling conflicts. The reason? Slade is currently directing the pilot of NBC's new series "Hannibal," based on the novels of Thomas Harris, and it's taking longer than anticipated. Slade's sudden departure leaves the project up the river without a paddle, as Fox needs to begin production on the film in the next few months or the Daredevil film rights will revert to Marvel.

But the Hell's Kitchen crimefighter isn't the only Marvel superhero getting screwed over by Dr. Lecter. The TV series has also stolen a villain from the hammer-wielding demi-god Thor in the upcoming "Thor 2." Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen ("Casino Royale," "Clash of the Titans") had been lined up to play the film's villain, but has similarly had to withdraw from the film because of his involvement with "Hannibal."

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In an interview with the U.K.'s Zoomi.TV, Mikkelsen said that "Thor 2" was no longer in the offing for him. "Yeah, that's not happening unfortunately," he said. "I had a meeting with them, but they were a little too late. And then 'Hannibal' came in, and everything just came in the same period, so now it's not happening."

Mikkelsen will play the titular cannibal serial killer in the TV series. Had he stuck with "Thor 2," he would have shared the screen with three-time Hannibal Lecter portrayer Sir Anthony Hopkins ("The Silence of the Lambs," "Red Dragon"), who reprises the role of Thor's father Odin in the sequel.

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Mikkelsen's sudden exit leaves "Thor 2" — which is set to begin filming in just a few weeks — without a main villain. Marvel and director Alan Taylor ("Mad Men," "Game of Thrones") are likely scrambling to replace him, but exactly whom Mikkelsen was going to play hasn't yet been made known. The popular theory is that longtime Thor comic book baddie Executioner (also known as Skurge) will be the Norse god's on-screen nemesis in the sequel, but until Marvel says otherwise it's still just a theory.

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The comic book publisher and superhero movie powerhouse may reveal who Thor's next foe will be at Comic Con this weekend, and they might even mention who will replace Mikkelsen.