Though we pretty much already knew he was onboard, Paramount and New Regency announced today that Russell Crowe is officially set to play Noah in Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical epic Noah.  The film is “a close adaptation of the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark, in which the titular Noah is given a divine mission of building an ark to save creation from the impending flood.  Aronofsky wrote the screenplay alongside Ari Handel, and John Logan (Gladiator, Hugo) performed revisions.  Interestingly, the press release notes that production will begin this July in New York and Iceland.  Hit the jump for more.

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.