SEGA Inks Actors Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston to Star in the Video Game Thor: God of Thunder

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced they have signed Chris Hemsworth to voice the title role and Tom Hiddleston to voice Loki in the upcoming action adventure Thor™: God of Thunder. Both actors’ likenesses will also be used in the game, which is based on the legendary franchise from Marvel Entertainment, and marks Thor’s first standalone appearance in a video game.

“Bringing in Chris and Tom to star in Thor: God of Thunder gives us AAA talent that will create a truly cinematic interactive experience”

“Bringing in Chris and Tom to star in Thor: God of Thunder gives us AAA talent that will create a truly cinematic interactive experience,” said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing at SEGA Europe and SEGA of America. “Mighty Thor and the trickster Loki will face off with real emotion while giving fans visual and vocal continuity between the video game and film adaptations of the Marvel franchise.”

Thor: God of Thunder will take players through an original, epic-scale third-person action adventure for which Matt Fraction, the Eisner Award-winning writer and lead Thor comic book author, served as story consultant. In the game, Thor battles through the numerous worlds of Norse mythology to save Asgard. Players will wield the iconic Mjölnir, Thor’s legendary hammer, to fight enemies of an immense scale while controlling the elemental storm powers of lightning, thunder and wind to vanquish enemies. Thor must overcome monstrous foes lifted from the pages of the comics, including Ulik, Ymir and Surtur, as well as other daunting enemies.

Thor: God of Thunder is scheduled for release spring 2011 on all major video game platforms.

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth played George Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek film before portraying the title role in Marvel Studios’ Thor film and SEGA’s upcoming game, and he will pick up the hammer once more in 2012 for Marvel Studios’ The Avengers. He has also appeared in a variety of TV roles and in films such as A Perfect Getaway, Ca$h and more.

Tom Hiddleston graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has gone on to star in a number of critically acclaimed television productions including Return to Cranford and Wallander. He has also received universal praise on stage in a number of roles including a hugely successful production of Shakespeare's Othello alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ewan McGregor, and an Olivier Award-winning performance in Cymbeline. In addition to voicing the role of Loki in Thor: God of Thunder, he plays Loki in the upcoming Thor film adaptation from Marvel Studios and in 2011 will also star in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris and Steven Spielberg's War Horse.

For further information on this title, please visit www.sega-press.com

About SEGA® Europe Ltd.

SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe’s web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

About SEGA® of America, Inc.

SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s web site is located at www.sega.com.

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com.