After flirting with making The Wolverine and a thriller called Machine Man as his follow-ups to the massively, unexpectedly successful BLack Swan, Darren Aronofsky finally settled on Noah as his next project. Yes, the filmmaker who has previously tackled drug abuse, math genius and the world of professional ballet feels he's up for telling one of the most complicated Biblical stories there is, and with Black Swan so far in the black, for the first time in his career he has the financial clout to make it happen.
That doesn't mean Aronofsky can fund it out of pocket, of course, but lucky for him, he's finally nailed down the financiers to make it happen. THR reports that Paramount and New Regency have made a deal to finance Noah, which Aronofsky will direct based on John Logan's script, which is a rewrite of one cooked up by Aronofsky and Ari Handel.
The next question is who he'll get on board to star. It seems like he'd pretty much have his choice of anyone-- no more hiring actors like Mickey Rourke and Natalie Portman and asking them to work for pennies on a small-scale production. Rumor had it back in June that he wanted Christian Bale for it, but who knows how much substance that rumor had or even if he still wants to make that happen. Odds are he'll need a star, and while I'm sure his buddy Hugh Jackman would be all for it, who knows if he has time either. If I were an A-list actor, though, I'd be lining up to work with Aronofsky-- and now that the funding is secure, I imagine it won't be long before he's managed to get someone ready to set sail.
(Image via Cinemafestival/Shutterstock)
