Natalie Portman to Help Hammer the Bad Guys in "Thor"

In the Star Wars prequels, Natalie Portman proved her ability to fight the bad guys in space. Now she's going to be fighting them on the ground.

Portman has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming adaptation of Marvel's "Thor".

Portman portrays Jane Foster, the romantic interest of the title character, played by up and coming actor Chris Hensworth.

Kenneth Branagh, of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will direct. Marvel's Kevin Feige will produce.

The film will follow Thor, as the arrogant god of thunder is forced to live on Earth after he is banished from his native Asgard as punishment for reigniting an ancient war between good and evil. There he meets Foster and falls in love, but even so an old enemy, Loki--played by Tom Hiddleston--decides to unleash havoc on Earth, forcing Thor to rise to the occasion.

It is the first major film in the fantasy genre for Marvel, which so far has stayed true to its action-adventure roots with the Spider Man and Hulk movies. Production is set to begin in 2010.