Last week it was revealed that Darren Aronofsky was trying to move forward with this long-gestating take on the tale of Noah and his ark. Since then a co-financing deal with New Regency has been worked out, but they still need a big studio to stump up some of the $130 million budget, and it seems they think some big name casting might help (which it probably would).
As a result, Vulture reports that Aronofsky is trying to lure Christian Bale to sign up for the flick. He’s currently in talks with the actor, but it’s early days, so it isn’t known how interested the Batman star is. If they can attach him, it makes it more likely one of the studios circling the project – Paramount, Summit and Fox – will sign on, as a star will make them more confident about stumping up the cash.
As Aronofsky isn’t one to compromise, there’s no guarantee everything will come together though, even with Bale. He’s previously said he expects Noah to be an R-rated, explicit version of the story, which makes this a bit of a gamble for any studio taking it on. It’s the sort of film they probably would have made a few years ago, but in the current economic climate, it’s difficult to say. It may be that Aronofsky has toned down his vision, which would certainly help with his financing, but if not, even if Bale does come on board, there’s no guarantee the director will get his $130 million budget.