Darren Aronfsky’s Noah is currently in production, and today we received our first peek at stars Russell Crowe, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and more!
New images were released today featuring stars of the forthcoming Biblical epic, Noah. Attendees at CineEurope got a sneak peek of the first footage from the film, and now we have a chance to get in on the action (sort of) with these shots.
Noah (as in the man with the ark), tells the story of one of the Bible’s most well-known figures. Russell Crowe is taking on the title role with Aronofsky in the director’s chair. Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman, and Ray Winstone fill out the principle cast.
The story centers around the title character’s mission to save his family after seeing visions of an inevitable apocalypse.
Aronofsky and Crowe have promised that this is not the typical telling of Noah’s story, opting for a grittier look at the man behind the ark.
In an interview with ET, Crowe said, “The funny thing with people, they consider Noah to be a benevolent figure because he looked after the animals -‘Awww, Noah. Noah and the animals.’ It’s like, are you kidding me?” He continued, “This is the dude that stood by and watched the entire population of the planet perish.”
Russell Crowe as Noah
Crowe warned audiences not to expect a “nice guy Noah,” saying, “He’s not benevolent. He’s not even nice.” Crowe continues, “At one point in the story his son says, ‘I thought you were chosen because you were good?’ And he goes, ‘I was chosen because I can get the job done, mate.'”
Emma Watson as Ila
Watson beat out the likes of Saoirse Ronan and Dakota Fanning for the role of Ila.
Logan Lerman as Ham
The 21-year-old Percy Jackson star has appeared with Crowe before in 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma and more recently, opposite Watson in the coming of age hit The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah
Hopkins will see a very busy 2014, as he is slated to appear in five films. Audiences can also see him in the upcoming Red 2 and as Odin in Thor: The Dark World.
Ray Winstone as Tubalcain
Winstone was Aronofsky’s first choice to play Tubalcain after turning down interest from Liam Neeson, Val Kilmer, and Liev Schreiber. He reportedly wanted (and found) someone who could physically challenge Crowe.
Jennifer Connelly as Naameh
Julianne Moore was considered for the role of Naameh. Connelly won an Oscar playing Crowe’s wife in A Beautiful Mind.
Noah has a scheduled release date of March 28, 2014.