Christian Bale May Be Building an Ark

Doesn't it seem odd that Christian Bale and Darren Aronofsky haven't made a movie together yet? Bale, an actor's actor so dedicated to his craft that he'll turn himself into a skeleton if the role requires it, and Aronofsky, a director who is an exacting craftsman: a perfect fit, right? Amazingly, they've never teamed up, although there's a chance it may happen for Aronofsky's next project.

That would be "Noah," the movie he turned to after walking away from "The Wolverine." It's a dark retelling of the Bible story about the carpenter who built an ark before God destroyed the world with a flood. (Sorry, probably should have said "Spoiler Alert" there.) Apparently, Aronofsky wants to make an R-rated version that has more infidelity in it, which is exactly the sort of thing we always thought the original story lacked.

Vulture hears that Aronofsky is "in talks with Christian Bale" to play Noah, so we fully expect that if Bale signs up for the role he's going to start growing his long white beard immediately. The dedicated professional that he is, he'll also probably go out and rent "Evan Almighty" to see what he can learn from Steve Carell's take.

(Bad) joking aside, even if Aronofsky lands Bale, "Noah" is far from a sure thing. Budgeted at $130 million, the movie is currently looking at three different studios, including Fox, to finance the picture. And while he's an Oscar-winner and the star of the Batman films, Bale has had a little trouble opening films all on his own. (With his biggest non-Batman hit, "Terminator Salvation," you could argue that the brand was more of a selling point than he was.) And then there's the little matter of a Bible story that's being re-imagined as an edgy R-rated tale. Bale may get plenty of time to grow that beard before this thing finally gets in front of the cameras.

Darren Aronofsky Wants Christian Bale for His $130 Million Noah and the Ark Film [Vulture]