Mel Gibson says that he turned down the role of Thor’s father

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Great Gibson's beard! There are no shortage of "what-if's" in the casting world, but we've got a new one for you today. While promoting his upcoming film BLOOD FATHER at Cannes, Mel Gibson sat down to chat with The Guardian and the subject of superhero films was brought up when Gibson was asked whether he had ever been approached to star in one.

Yeah, long time ago, to play Thor’s dad. But I didn’t do it.

Of course the role ended up going to great Anthony Hopkins, but it's interesting to ponder what could have been had Gibson been cast. Given that Gibson is close to twenty years younger than Hopkins, it's possible that we may have had an Allfather who brought a lot more physical action to the role. Although I do like Gibson's work, both in front of and behind the camera, I still think Anthony Hopkins was the best choice for the role. Gibson was also asked what he thought of the current wave of superhero films:

Some are good. Some are kind of funny … Guardians of the Galaxy. Or the first Iron Man. And some of them are just like retreats. I mean you can watch them do Spider-Man five times … There is a slight shift in film. But, then again, I think all films are suffering from people not being able to now open them with their name. It’s a different kind of business these days.

THOR: RAGNAROK will hit theaters on November 3, 2017 and BLOOD FATHER is set to arrive on August 26, 2016.

Would you like to see Mel Gibson in a comic-book film? If so, which role do you think he would be the best fit for?