Darren Aronofsky

Darren Aronofsky Wants Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson for His Biblical Epic NOAH

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 7:50 pm

Coming off the success of Black Swan, director Darren Aronofsky wants to follow up with the most ambitious production of his career.  The film is Noah, an epic about the Biblical tale of Noah’s Ark with a price tag of $130 million.  You need a bankable star to get that kind of money.  Christian “Batman” Bale passed, and potential replacement Michael Fassbender is busy with his new fame and accolades.  Deadline hears that Aronofsky has finally found his Noah, and it is Russell Crowe.  The deal is not official yet, but the smart money is reportedly on Crowe.  Additionally, Aronofsky is said to be interested in offering another part to Liam Neeson.  The only other major role we know about is the villain of the movie who argues against Noah’s faith as he builds a massive ship to weather the impending flood.  As the physical embodiment of wisdom, I could see Neeson as the humanistic antagonist.

Paramount and New Regency want to start shooting Noah this summer for a 2013 release.  Hit the jump for more on the project.

Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH May Start Filming in July Eying a Fall 2013 Release; New Details on the Film’s Villain

by Matt Currie    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 1:51 pm

In a world rife with sin, where evil men run rampant over a decaying earth, God has no choice but to purify his creation with the waters of heaven. But amidst the debauchery and chaos of a poisoned planet, there is one man, a weary warrior turned to peace, who is worthy of a chance at salvation. His name is Noah (Bum bum bum ba bum….bum bum bum ba bum). That’s the fairly kickass premise of Darren Aronofsky’s long-gestating pre- (but aesthetically post-) apocalyptic epic Noah, which may, as we learn today, finally start shooting this summer in anticipation of a Fall 2013 release. Hit the jump for more, including information regarding the film’s “big villain.”

Christian Bale Passes on Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH; Michael Fassbender Now Eyed for Lead

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 30th, 2011 at 1:14 pm

While Christian Bale has long been mentioned as the lead in director Darren Aronofsky’s passion project Noah, it turns out the actor will be unable to star in the biblical epic. Bale has passed on the role due to scheduling issues with the two Terrence Malick pics he’s set to shoot back-to-back next year (yes, that Terrence Malick is making two more movies: Lawless and Knight of Cups). Variety now reports that Aronofsky is keen on casting Michael Fassbender in Bale’s wake.  It’s an inspired choice, as Fassbender is a terrific actor who’s currently fielding a number of high-profile offers following a stellar year turning heads in X-Men: First Class and the drama Shame (for which he’s getting some much-deserved Oscar attention).

The Black Swan director has previously described Noah as his “big event film” and sees it more as a great fable than a religious story. I was already interested in the project given Aronofsky’s vision and Bale’s involvement, but the prospect of Fassbender taking over is almost more intriguing. Production is set to get underway next spring, and with Fassbender’s Londongrad put on hold until director Rupert Wyatt finishes a Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel, the actor has some newfound availability. Here’s hoping he signs on.

Watch These Horrifying Anti-Meth PSAs Directed by Darren Aronosfky

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 9th, 2011 at 10:23 am

If I was trying to scare off a teenager from trying hardcore drugs, I would show him or her Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream.  There’s a reason they show gruesome car crash videos in driver’s education classes, and the same principle is at work in Requiem and now these disturbing anti-meth PSAs directed by Aronofsky.  Aronofsky directed some anti-meth ads a few years ago, but these are his newest ones.  Either way, these ads are incredibly effective and not like those stupid “Friendship:  My Anti-Drug!” or that one about the girl who loses all her bones because she smoked pot.

Hit the jump to check out the PSAs.  Click here to go methproject.org, who financed the PSAs.

New Images and Trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s Graphic Novel (Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture) NOAH

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 21st, 2011 at 7:24 am

Darren Aronofsky was able to get Noah, his expensive biblical epic, picked up by Paramount and New Regency.  However, before a studio came on board, Aronofsky was going the route he went with The Fountain where he was planning to release a graphic novel as a means to sell the film.  Even though the movie now has a home, work continued on the comic (co-written by Ari Handel) and now the first volume has been released in Europe with new images and a trailer.  I can’t read French, but it certainly looks epic and Nico Henrichon’s art is gorgeous.

Hit the jump to check out the new images, the trailer, and a translation of the synopsis.  Noah is looking to start filming in spring 2012.

Paramount and New Regency Partner on Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH; Spring Production Start Eyed

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 3rd, 2011 at 4:24 pm

Things are finally on the move for Darren Aronofsky’s passion project Noah. New Regency and Paramount have agreed to partner on the biblical epic, ending a bidding battle over who would finance the film. Deadline reports that screenwriter John Logan has come on board to rewrite Aronofsky and Ari Handel’s script, and the project is being fast tracked to hopefully go into production by next spring. The film marks the director’s follow-up to Black Swan, after he was briefly attached to The Wolverine before dropping out for personal reasons. Noah has been a passion project for Aronofsky for quite some time, and he previously described it as his “big event film.” Hit the jump for more, including the possibility of Christian Bale taking on the lead and some artwork from Aronofsky’s graphic novel version of the film.

Hugh Jackman Talks THE WOLVERINE Script: Mark Bomback’s Re-Write and Similarities to Darren Aronofsky’s Version

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 2nd, 2011 at 5:12 am

While it’s taken awhile to come to fruition, it sounds like The Wolverine is finally on track and heading towards production. After Darren Aronofsky abruptly dropped out of the director’s chair this past March, the project and its 2012 release date were left in a state of limbo. Following an extensive director search, Fox and Hugh Jackman finally settled on James Mangold to take the reins of the superhero flick. Production is now set to begin next spring, straight after Jackman wraps Les Miserables.

Steve recently got the chance to speak with Jackman about the upcoming sci-fi pic Real Steel, but the actor also provided an update on The Wolverine during the course of the conversation. He revealed that the current iteration of the script is about 85% the same as Aronofsky’s version, and commented on Mark Bomback’s rewrite of Christopher McQuarrie’s initial script, saying that he thinks it’s as strong if not stronger than the Aronofsky/McQuarrie version. Hit the jump to check out what he had to say.

BLACK SWAN Writer Mark Heyman Shopping Facebook Stalker Pic XOXO; Darren Aronofsky to Produce

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 24th, 2011 at 12:42 pm

Mark Heyman (Black Swan) had so much success with his last creepy/obsessive/possibly insane protagonist that the scribe is returning to familiar territory with his latest script. Heyman is currently circulating a “Facebook stalker” pic entitled XOXO around several Hollywood genres labels with Darren Aronofsky set to produce. Per 24 Frames, the script centers on a twentysomething male whose digital relationship with a female peer takes a turn from “Wow, this online dating thing is really cool” to “Wow, thanks to this online dating thing I now have a stalker.”

The report also claims that XOXO will not exist solely on Facebook but will make use of streaming video and other social media platforms as well so as to create a digital world that acts as an extension of the physical one (sound familiar?). In addition to XOXO, Heyman is also writing a teen-centric apocalyptic tale for director Marc Webb entitled Age of Rage. Moreover, he’s also developing a project called Machine Man which is described as being in the vein of Robocop as it centers on a man who undergoes a titanium body upgrade and becomes a target as a result.

Darren Aronofsky Talks NOAH, Calls it His “Big Event Film”

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 20th, 2011 at 10:43 am

Coming off the major success of Black Swan, director Darren Aronofsky is looking to go a little bigger. While he left The Wolverine for personal reasons, he’s now trying to get his long-in-the-works passion project Noah financed, with Christian Bale reportedly being eyed for the lead. Based on the biblical tale, John Logan is currently re-writing the script while the project is being shopped around Hollywood. Recently, the director talked a bit about his idea for the project, calling it “a big event film.” Hit the jump to see what else he had to say regarding Noah.

Darren Aronofsky to Direct HOBGOBLIN Pilot For HBO

by Bill Graham    Posted: June 16th, 2011 at 8:14 pm

While Darren Aronofsky may have backed out of The Wolverine in March and crushed many hearts and dreams, he might win some back with his first adventure into television. HBO’s Hobgoblin has been steadily picking up steam since the period drama written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) and his wife, Ayelet Waldman, first broke onto the scene. Why? Because it pits con men and magicians against Hitler and the Germans in World War II. Now Heat Vision says that the television series has picked up Aronofsky to direct the pilot. Hit the jump for some more background on the project and those involved.

Darren Aronofsky Wants Christian Bale as His NOAH

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 14th, 2011 at 7:01 am

Darren Aronofsky wants Christian Bale to build him an ark that is 300 cubits by 50 cubits by 30 cubits.  Vulture reports that Aronofsky is angling to get the Oscar-winning actor to star in the biblical epic Noah.  As we previously reported, studios are circling the project to co-finance, but the film’s budget is projected at $130 million.  Getting a star of Bale’s caliber could help secure financing.  New Regency is already on board, but other contenders Summit, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount could make a better prediction of the film’s overseas potential if Bale comes on board (I swear, I’m not making these boat metaphors just for the puns).

Bale is currently filming on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.  He’s also set to star in the drama The Last Photograph, which is about a war correspondent in Afghanistan who is the sole survivor of an attack on Americans.  That project is tipped to shoot after Bale wraps on Batman, but we’ll see how fast Noah comes together if Bale signs on for the super fun task of gathering two of every animal.  Hit the jump for more details on Noah.

Darren Aronofsky Shopping Around $130 Million Passion Project NOAH

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 8th, 2011 at 7:38 am

One of the reasons Darren Aronofsky reportedly signed on to do The Wolverine is because he wanted a blockbuster hit that he could leverage to make personal projects that required a larger budget than his past work.  Then he dropped off that film for personal reasons, but perhaps Black Swan grossing $315 million worldwide off a $13 million budget also had something to do with it.  Now that he has that success (along with a Best Director Oscar nomination) to his credit, Aronofsky has more clout and it looks like he’s using it to try and get Noah off the ground.

In February, we reported that Aronofsky was going to tell the story of the Bible’s Noah by creating a graphic novel with artist Nico Henrichon.  Now John Logan is re-writing the film’s script and various studios are getting interested in co-financing the ambitious project.  Hit the jump for more details.

Darren Aronofsky Wanted for MALEFICENT and MOSES?

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 20th, 2011 at 2:53 pm

Since dropping out of Fox’s The Wolverine, director Darren Aronofsky has been linked to a number of projects. Everyone wants to know what he’ll choose as his follow up to the smashing success that was Black Swan. Earlier this month, it was reported that he was eyeing the sci-fi flick Human Nature with George Clooney attached to star. Now, Badass Digest reports that the director is being courted for two other high-profile projects: Disney wants him to helm Maleficent and Warner Bros. is courting the director for Moses.

Maleficent just recently lost its director, as Tim Burton bowed out a few days ago, but David Yates has been mentioned as a possible replacement. The film is set to start Angelina Jolie as the notorious Sleeping Beauty villain. Moses is one of two dueling projects centered on the biblical figure. Warner Bros’ version focuses on the Exodus, while the Fox version is said to be more in the vein of 300 (because violence and sex is exactly what the Old Testament is lacking). While neither of these sounds particularly up Aronofsky’s alley, neither did a sequel to Wolverine. Personally, I’d much rather see him take on that other biblical project: his long-talked-about Noah.

Darren Aronofsky May Next Direct Sci-Fi Film HUMAN NATURE Starring George Clooney

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 9th, 2011 at 4:09 pm

Just over a month ago, director Darren Aronofsky dropped out of The Wolverine at the last minute. The project, which was set to start filming in March, was left in a state of limbo without a director and with their shooting location of Japan ravaged by a giant earthquake. Now, it looks like Aronofsky is closing in on his next directorial effort following last year’s critical lauded Black Swan.

Vulture reports that Aronofsky is eyeing the sci-fi film Human Nature. The spec script by Jeff Welch, which has been around for 15 years, centers on “man who is cryogenically frozen and wakes up years later to a world in which humans have become pets of another species.” George Clooney is attaching himself to star, with producer Akiva Goldsman (I Am Legend) currently budgeting the flick. If everything works out, this is expected to be the director’s next project. Aronofsky, Clooney and sci-fi? Count me in.

Darren Aronofsky to Head Venice Film Festival Jury

by Talia Soghomonian    Posted: April 28th, 2011 at 8:26 am

After Quentin Tarantino last year, the Venice Mostra has chosen another hip American director to preside over its jury. Darren Aronofsky, who is a frequent visitor of the Italian festival, will have the honor of awarding the Golden Lion.

According to the Mostra artistic director, Marco Muller, Aronofsky is “a key figure in contemporary cinema whose work constantly engages the evolution and mutations of the many languages of art” and the “leader of a new generation” of filmmakers, while the prestigious French magazine Cahiers du Cinema calls him the “leader of the new generation.” Hit the jump for more Venetian details.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design