Kenneth Branagh is out of the Thor director's chair, and Brian Kirk is in! Wait, who?

As per, Kirk is in early talks to direct the next solo adventure for the Odinson. He's directed a bunch of cable TV shows, including Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and Dexter, as well as the BBC's Luther and its upcoming Great Expectations. Thor 2 would be his big-budget feature debut."Kirk rose to the top of the list of directors vying for the job after he showed his abilities to juggle large ensembles of thesps and complex storylines in his TV projects, while also grounding the fantasy genre via his work on Thrones," says the report, while adding that the sequel will feature a lot of Asgardians and Norse mythology creatures. So no cheap desert town this time out?Other directors under consideration have included Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods), James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), Noam Murro (the upcoming 300: Battle of Artemisia) and, uh, Breck Eisner (The Crazies). Kirk's deal isn't done yet, so one of these other helmers could still get the gig.The report also notes that Branagh was invited back but decided not to return. (In fact, it was just revealed today that. I'm not sure what that is either.). Thor 2 will hit theaters on July 26, 2013.More Superheroes: