Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kenneth Branagh directed the 2011 Thor film. Branagh, known primarily for his Shakespearean stage and screen work, was approached after Matthew Vaughn's holding deal expired in 2008 and he confirmed his hiring by December 2008.
Thor (2011) earned $449.3 million worldwide. Of that total, $181 million came from the United States and Canada, and $268.3 million came from international territories. It was the 15th highest-grossing film of 2011.
Tom Hiddleston played Loki in the 2011 Thor film. He had originally auditioned to play Thor, but director Kenneth Branagh redirected him to Loki. Branagh instructed Hiddleston to study Peter O'Toole in The Lion in Winter and Lawrence of Arabia for inspiration, and required Hiddleston to maintain a strict diet to achieve what Branagh described as a lean and hungry look.
Thor was in development for approximately two decades before its 2011 release. Sam Raimi first conceived the film after making Darkman in 1990 and pitched it to 20th Century Fox, but the project stalled. It was revived in April 1997 and moved through Sony Pictures, Artisan Entertainment, Paramount, and several directors and writers before Branagh was hired in December 2008.
Natalie Portman stated she took the role partly because Kenneth Branagh was directing, calling the combination "super-weird" in an appealing way. She also wanted to represent a woman as a serious scientist, and read biographies of female scientists including Rosalind Franklin in preparation. She signed on before a script existed.
Patrick Doyle composed the score for Thor (2011). Doyle described the film as the most commercially high-profile project he had done since Frankenstein. His Celtic background informed his approach to the Norse material, and an old Celtic folk song provided the basis for Thor's leitmotif. The soundtrack album was released by Buena Vista Records in April 2011.