Although he had a notable uncredited role as SS-Sturmbannführer Knopp in director Thomas Carter 's 1993 film '' Swing Kids '' , between 1989 and 1996 Branagh mostly directed his own films , including '' Peter 's Friends , '' with a cast including former student friends Emma Thompson , Hugh Laurie , Tony Slattery and Stephen Fry , as well as Imelda Staunton and Rita Rudner ; but the commercial and critical failure of '' Love 's Labour 's Lost '' ended his directorial career for a time . In 2006 , the same year that Branagh 's film version of '' As You Like It '' was released , he also directed a film version of Mozart 's opera '' The Magic Flute '' . Branagh has also directed the thriller '' Sleuth '' ( 2007 ) , a remake of the 1972 film . At a film promotion for '' Valkyrie '' in 2008 , Branagh confirmed that he would be directing '' Thor '' , a film based on the Marvel superhero . '' Thor '' , Branagh 's return to big-budget directing , was released on 6 May 2011 . In 2011 , Branagh portrayed Laurence Olivier in '' My Week with Marilyn '' , which nabbed him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 84th Academy Awards . Branagh directed Disney 's live-action adaptation of '' Cinderella '' ( 2015 ) . Branagh played a Royal Navy Commander in Christopher Nolan 's 2017 action-thriller '' Dunkirk '' , based on the British military evacuation of the French city of Dunkirk in 1940 during World War II
84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
Kenneth Branagh