First Look At Russell Crowe In Darren Aronofsky’s Noah

Darren Aronofsky, the man responsible for directing Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream, is currently at work on the upcoming motion picture Noah, an epic, big-budget retelling of the titular biblical character and his famous boat. The film sports an impressive cast of major Hollywood talent, with Gladiator star Russell Crowe tackling the lead role.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Noah has been in the works for over five years, though it would appear the film is closer than ever to arriving in cinemas all across the globe. Aronofsky is currently in Iceland right now working on the picture, and has shared several shots from the set via the micro-blogging website Twitter.

“I dream about this since I was 13. And now it’s a reality. Genesis 6:14,” reportedly tweeted. Although you can’t see very much from the picture he shared with his followers, it’s easy to see that the set is downright massive in scope.

USA Today, meanwhile, managed to get their hands on a photo of Crowe in full Noah garb. To be honest, Crowe doesn’t look much different than he usually does, though, for a lot of people, that’s probably not a bad thing.

In addition to Crowe, the film also stars Harry Potter alumnus Emma Watson, Douglas Booth, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Durand, and Ray Winstone. At one point during the film’s storied production, both Christian Bale and Michael Fassbender were rumored to play Noah.

Noah tells the story of a God-fearing man who is divinely ordered to build an enormous vessel in which to protect his family and a host of animals from a massive flood which will cleanse the world of sinners. Given Aronofsky’s penchant for striking visuals, I’m sure his adaptation of the story will be a cinematic treat.

Presently, the film is scheduled to arrive in North American theaters on March 28, 2014.