Corona | Coming Attractions

USA Today published a new photo showing Russell Crowe as the biblical boat builder.

The movie is about to start shooting and there's been news to report about it, so let's dive right in:

First, there's the casting of Anthony Hopkins as Noah's 900-year old grandfather, Methuselah. Hopkins will only be in a reported three scenes but if Sir Tony is playing the world's oldest man, those moments are bound to be memorable.

Next, Darren Aronofsky issued this picture on his Twitter stream today showing the construction of Noah's ark. "I dreamt about this since I was 13. And now it's a reality. Genesis 6:14," said the director to his followers.

Also added to the cast: Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream) as Naameh; Emma Watson (the Harry Potter movie series) as Ila; Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) as Noah's son Ham; and Ray Winstone (Snow White and the Huntsman).

Finally, HitFix's Drew McWeeny broke some news about a supernatural element we'll see in the movie, the six-armed, 11-foot-tall Watchers. They are God's angels, and they are also to be feared by Noah and his people. "They have a major presence in the script, and they're fascinating.  Early on, when Noah needs to go see his grandfather, he has to move through the homeland of the Watchers, something that is not easy to do," Drew writes on his site.

And now it has a release date. Darren Aronofsky's big screen Noah will hit theaters on March 28, 2014.

According to a report published in one corner of the Internet, Russell Crowe is the director's current candidate of choice to play Noah. As well, Liam Neeson (Taken) is also being considered for a part in the film. [Full story]

Aronofsky got his movie. Yesterday Paramount Pictures released a statement saying that they and New Regency Pictures will release and fund his biblical picture Noah.

"Since I was a kid, I have been moved and inspired by the story of Noah and his family's journey.  The imaginations of countless generations have sparked to this epic story of faith. It's my hope that I can present a window into Noah's passion and perseverance for the silver screen," said Aronofsky in the press release.

John Logan (The Aviator) is rewriting the script.

Paramount didn't comment as to when Noah would go into production or how much the project is budgeted at.

Vulture is reporting that Aronofsky wants Christian Bale to play his Noah. The site couldn't get confirmation of their scoop but they feel pretty confident that if Aronofsky can attach Bale to his project, he has a shot of raising the $130 million bucks he'll need to make the effects driven picture.

Word breaks that Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky wants to make an "edgy" retelling of the story of Noah, the man who constructed an ark to ferry two of every animal species to safety when God sent a worldwide flood.

Aronofsky wrote the original draft which is now getting a polish by John Logan (The Aviator). New Regency is looking for co-financiers to carry the estimated $130 million dollar budget.