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Nikki Finke won’t have to use her eternally annoying trademark line ‘Toldja!’ this time, as she appears to be quite clearly the first on the scene with news of the casting of the title role in Marvel’s upcoming adventure Thor.

According to Finke, the role of Thor will be played by 25-year old Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. The former Home and Away star was most recently seen as George Kirk — the ill-fated father of James T. Kirk — in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot and has also been cast in the lead role in the upcoming Red Dawn remake, which MGM is currently developing.

The casting decision was made by Marvel President Kevin Feige and director Kenneth Branagh today, ending a long bout with public speculation from sites across the web. It is rumored that James Bond star Daniel Craig turned down the role. As well, it was rumored that everyone from Rome‘s Kevin McKidd to Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnum had at least read for the part.

If you ask me, this is a gutsy and potentially very interesting casting move. I’ve long contended that casting an unknown would be a good way to go with a role such as Thor — similar to the thoughts I expressed with the Bradley Cooper as Green Lantern, its about the story and delivery of the character that will make the difference. Its about acting ability, not just the look. And so far, Hemsworth has proven himself to be solid — at least that is what I can gather from his 5 minutes or so of screen time in Star Trek.

The casting of Thor’s nemesis brother Loki is still in the works, with the most recent rumors pointing toward Josh Hartnett.

Thor is currently scheduled for a June 17, 2011 release date.

What do you think of Hemsworth for Thor?