Christopher Eccleston joins ‘Thor: The Dark World’!

Deadline just broke the news that Doctor Who alumni Christopher Eccleston has joined the cast of Thor: The Dark World, casting the popular English actor as Thor villain Malekith the Accursed.

We mentioned a few days ago that commitments to the upcoming “Hannibal” series forced former Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen to drop out of the Thor sequel. It’s not confirmed that this is the role Mikkelsen had, but it’s likely.

Malekith, who first debuted in Thor #344, is a Dark Elf from Svartalfheim who once allied with Loki at the behest of Surtur. It’s worth noting that Malekith most notably wielded the Casket of Ancient Winters, the mcguffin from the previous Thor film.

The sequel, which reunites much of the original cast as well as new director Alan Taylor, is slated for release November 2013.