Noah

First Look: Aronofsky Builds his Ark for ‘Noah’

July 11, 2012 By Rebecca Cusey

Aronofsky is clearly building an epic ark for an epic Bible movie, posting on Twitter a picture of a gigantic construction site. It’s the place where he’s piecing together his ark for his story about the Biblical Noah’s flood.

He Tweeted this photo with the message: “I dreamt about this since I was 13. And now it’s a reality. Genesis 6:14 ‪#noah‬”

Genesis 6:14 says: So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Noah stars Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Anthony Hopkins. It is due to open March of 2014 and is currently in production.

For more on the movie:

Is the cast too white?

Anthony Hopkins cast as Methuselah

Is Hollywood getting Friendly with Faith?

Update: We don’t want to toot our own horn – well, yes, maybe we do. We beat the big players, Deadline Hollywood, The Hollywood Reporter, and just about everybody else but Aronofsky himself to bring you the first picture of the ark under construction. And we plan to keep doing it. Patheos is on top of movie news, especially when it has a religious hook.

Filed Under: Faith on Film, Featured, slider Tagged With: ark, Aronofsky, boat, Darren Aronofsky, movie, Noah, picture, ship, tweet

Guess what? All your ancestors are white: Aronofsky Casts All Europeans for ‘Noah’

June 5, 2012 By Rebecca Cusey

Do you look like this?

That’s the Biblical Noah and, um, Mrs. Noah, as cast in Darren Aronofsky’s movie based on the Biblical story of Noah, due out next March. Russell Crowe will play the titular character and Jennifer Connelly his wife.

New casting news from Deadline.com has Noah’s sons cast as Douglas Booth as Shem, Logan Lerman as Ham, and Saorise Ronan as (perhaps) a love interest for one of the sons. They look like this:

Booth

Lerman

Ronan

They’re all lovely, beautiful people and fine actors. But, hold the phone, there’s a problem.

Isn’t something missing? Like, maybe, melanin?

Traditionally, Shem is supposed to be the father of the Semites (Jewish people, Arabs, etc) and Ham of Africans and the third son Japheth of the Europeans. (I’ve always wondered where Asians were supposed to have come from. I’m sure some Biblical scholar could tell me.) Japheth has not been cast, but apparently his genes were the strong ones in the family.

That boy don’t look Jewish and that other boy don’t look black.

They look like the scions of a WASPy country club, or maybe members of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Booth is the only one without blue eyes. I don’t consider that diversity.

Target ads are more diverse. Heck, toothpaste ads are more diverse.

I know, I know, it’s just a movie. And movies are hard to cast.

In some ways, we can’t take the stories too seriously.

On the other hand, we must take them very seriously indeed, in all their complexity.

We all know there has been centuries racism and hurt associated with these origin stories, especially with the supposed justification of the mistreatment of “Hamitic” peoples.

We don’t want that all over again. But is the answer to leave non-Europeans out of the story all together?

Along with Adam, Noah is described as the father of all humanity in the Bible and many people believe this to be true. Shouldn’t he, and his family, look a little bit more like the breadth and diversity of humankind?

Filed Under: Entertainment News, Faith on Film, Featured, Uncategorized Tagged With: Aronofsky, Black, european, Ham, Japheth, Noah, races, racism, semetic, Shem, white

Aronofsky to Take on George Washington

April 18, 2012 By Rebecca Cusey

Not content with bringing Biblical patriarch Noah to the big screen, Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) may also take on Washington. George Washington, that is.

Variety reports that the director is attached to produce and direct a project based on the Father of Our Country and General of the Revolutionary War.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources tell Variety that the script is more of an “Unforgiven”-like tale rather than a straight historical drama.

Well, I’m game, just as long as the General doesn’t devolve in a spiral of madness as he seeks to not only dance the evil Black Swan but become the evil Black Swan.

That would be a bit much.

Par eyes Aronofsky’s Washington pic – Entertainment News, EXCLUSIVE, Media – Variety.

Filed Under: Entertainment News, Featured, Uncategorized Tagged With: Aronofsky, Noah, Washington

Russell Crowe likely to Launch Ship as Noah in Aronofsky Biblical Epic

February 2, 2012 By Rebecca Cusey

Does this man look like the Biblical Noah to you? Deadline is reporting that Darren Aronofsky, who flirted with Oscars last year for his Natalie Portman ballet movie “Black Swan” is close to signing Russell Crowe as the title character in his movie based on the Biblical Noah.

The movie is rumored to be dark and comic-bookish in tone, not a traditional Biblical epic from the 1950s.

From Aronofsky? Of course. “Black Swan” wasn’t exactly “The Nutcracker,” after all.

Deadline also reports that Liam Neeson is in talks for another role.

*Russell Crowe photo from MySpace

Filed Under: Entertainment News, Faith on Film, Featured Tagged With: Aronofsky, Cusey, Noah, Russell Crowe