We know that 'Thor: The Dark World' has been filming, and is scheduled to hit theaters in a year (November 8, 2013 to be exact), but now Marvel has released their synopsis, which gives us a greater sense of what the film is, and how much (or little) 'The Avengers' plays into the sequel.

And it looks like very little. This seems more a continuation of the first film, which brings Chris Hemsworth's Thunder God back to earth for at least a part of the running time (that way cast members Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgård have something to do). But it looks big in the sense that the main drama happens away from Earth (or does it?) with the rise of Malekith (played by Christopher Eccleston). As we haven't heard about Arizona being filmed for some major metropolis, we're guessing the big battling takes place on a different planet. You never know.

Here's the synopsis:

Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, from a story by Don Payne (credit not final) and screenplay by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (credit not final) and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery” #83 in August, 1962.

“Thor: The Dark World” is presented by Marvel Studios. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Craig Kyle and Nigel Gostelow. The film releases November 8, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

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