Variety.com Talk about striking while the hammer is hot! After weeks of seeking an A-list male lead for "Snow White and the Huntsman," Universal is zeroing in on Chris Hemsworth, the God of Thunder himself in this coming weekend's "Thor," Variety's Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) exclusively reports. Hemsworth is the current frontrunner to take the role opposite Kristen Stewart, who for two months has been locked to play the iconic fairy tale character, along with Charlize Theron as the evil queen. There are major issues to be worked out with Hemsworth's shooting schedule on "Marvel's The Avengers," and no official offer is on the table just yet, but nabbing Hemsworth now -- just days before "Thor" premieres in the U.S. -- would be a coup for the Universal project, which comes out Dec. 21, 2012, six months after Relativity Media's version starring Lily Collins and Julia Roberts. Meanwhile, notice how Universal's huntsman keeps getting younger? The 27-year-old Hemsworth brings a dynamic altogether different from previous candidates (Viggo Mortensen, 52; Hugh Jackman, 42; and Joel Edgerton, 37) by making Snow White's protector much closer in age to the 21-year-old Stewart. Romantic tension, anyone? Pic has always revolved around the relationship between the title character and the huntsman, whom the evil queen orders to kill Snow White before he decides instead to protect and teach the young woman. There's a Prince Charming in there somewhere, and probably seven dwarves, too, but this is the role that "Snow White and the Huntsman" has been waiting for to really move forward.
