Monday, Jun 18, 2012    Text size: 

LONDON — British actor Tom Hiddleston, best known these days for his role as the villainous Loki in Marvel Studios' "Thor" and "The Avengers," is reportedly set to play porn-publisher-turned-real-estate-mogul Paul Raymond in the upcoming biopic "King of Soho."

The project, produced by Paul's son Howard Raymond, is one of two films based on the Club International and Mayfair publisher's life. The other — also titled "King of Soho" — is directed by Michael Winterbottom ("Killer Inside Me") and is toplined by comedian Steve Coogan ("Hamlet 2").

"You can't imagine how delighted I am by this," Raymond told DailyMail.com. "We've waited a long time to get the right person and in Tom we finally have. It's a difficult role, not because he is playing my father but because he is in every scene in the film."

Based on his book "The King of Soho," Raymond's film has yet to find a director, but is nonetheless slated to shoot next year with Wolf Studio Ltd producing. In the meantime, he has trademarked the title as intellectual property belonging to Mr. Raymond's Provincial and Metropolitan Property Company in an effort to thwart Winterbottom's film.