Zachary Levi: Thor 2 Role Is the Reason I'm Growing Facial Hair!

TV star confirms he's making the jump to the big screen to play Fandral in the second installment of the Marvel franchise

By Josh Grossberg Jul 12, 2012 6:30 PMTags

By the power of the Gods, Zachary Levi will be in Thor 2!

The Chuck star is taking a break from the spy world for an adventure-filled vacation in Asgard, as he announced during an appearance last night on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno that he has been cast in Marvel's highly anticipated sequel—which also accounts for the slick goatee he's recently been sporting.

"The guy, Josh Dallas, who played Fandral the Dashing in the first one, he has a conflict with the television show he's doing, so I get to jump in there and play the role…so this is why I get to grow all this out," the 31-year-old Levi said, referring to the facial hair.

Those who've seen the original 2011 hit will remember Fandral as the swashbuckling member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgardians who are the close comrades of our hammer-wielding hero, played by Chris Hemsworth.

Ironically, Levi was supposed to originate the part when casting for Thor first got underway, but ended up getting replaced by Stuart Townsend after he had his own scheduling issue with Chuck. Townsend dropped out due to creative differences and Dallas took over, only to forgo the sequel due to a prior commitment to ABC's Once Upon a Time.

 The tube star added that once Comic-Con wraps this week, he'll depart for England to check out the London Olympics and prepare Thor 2, with shooting scheduled to commence there this summer.

The follow-up is being directed by Alan Taylor and will once again reunite Hemsworth with costars Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgård and Idris Elba along with newcomer Mads Mikkelsen, who's aboard to play one of the villains. If all goes according to plan, Thor 2 will hit theaters on Nov. 8, 2013.