Though all eyes have been on Iron Man 3 as of late with that film going into production imminently, Marvel is also set to start filming another superhero pic later this year: Thor 2. Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston are all set to return, and after an extensive director search that saw Patty Jenkins join and subsequently drop out of the project, Game of Thrones staple Alan Taylor is set to take the helm. As that production looms closer, we now have our first new casting addition and it’s a biggie: Mads Mikkelsen will be playing the villain. Hit the jump for more.

Per Variety, Casino Royale baddie Mikkelsen is in talks to star as the main villain in Thor 2. Though it’s unknown what role Mikkelsen will specifically play, Hiddelston’s Loki character is said to still have a big part in the film as an antagonist. Mikkelsen is a Danish actor who is probably best known as the villain in Casino Royale, but also had a strong supporting role in 2010’s Clash of the Titans and starred in Nicholas Winding Refn’s Valhalla Rising.

I’m not familiar enough with Thor mythology to speculate on Mikkelsen’s role, but I’m assuming his foreign heritage might be a minor clue to those in the know. When Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige spoke with Steve a few months ago, he revealed that Thor 2 will shoot in London and that the film would have “another big villain” besides Loki. As far as the story goes, here’s what Feige said about the what the sequel will focus on:

“[The heart of the movie is] Thor and Jane, to continue that dynamic. Really they were only together for three days, and do they love each other? Do they like each other? Do they know each other? We’re acknowledging that that love story in the first movie was sort of a quick crush, essentially, over the course of three quick days in the middle of the desert. And [the heart of the movie is also] the relationship between Thor and Odin, which does change drastically as it did over the course of the first movie, and picks up and continues from there.”

I was a big fan of Thor, and Taylor has one of the principal directors on HBO’s stellar fantasy series Game of Thrones so I think the sequel is in good hands. I’m eager to see how the story continues, and I’m hoping that those more knowledgeable than I about Thor lore can start to piece together who Mikkelsen might be playing. Speculate away!