In not exactly shocking news, longtime collaborator Clint Mansell will be composing Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming biblical epic Noah.  Mansell has scored all of Aronofsky’s films to date, so his involvement with Noah was assumed.  Nevertheless, speaking at the Marrakech Film Festival (via The Playlist), Aronofsky confirmed that Mansell will be handling music duties:

“We’re about to start [on Noah] and I’m actually getting texts right now and I know it’s from [Mansell], complaining about something. But he’s a genius too and he cares, he puts his heart and soul and his love into everything. And he’s unique – different from everyone else out there working. He’s able to boil down the thematic of a film into a melody, into two or three notes. He captures the whole essence of a film in two or three notes.”

You can hear the next new Mansell score when director Park Chan-wook’s promising drama Stoker hits theaters this coming March.  Noah is due out nearly a year later, on March 28, 2014.

As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the Northeast, a somewhat odd twist has occurred regarding an upcoming film.  As we’ve previously reported, Darren Aronofsky‘s Noah, based on the biblical story, is filming in Oyster Bay, New York.  It’s not a bad location, and one that makes sense since hurricanes almost never hit the Northeast, and certainly not at this time of year.  Aronofsky built his ark to the measurements outlined in the bible in terms of the height and width, but the L.A. Times is reporting that the ark has been partially dismantled as a precautionary measure.  The ark, which is outdoors, is “450 feet long and 75 feet tall and 45 feet wide, was not intended to be seaworthy,” and let’s be fair: authenticity should only have to go so far.  The Times continues that if the storm hits the set, flood repairs may have to be organized.

The irony of the situation was not lost on Aronofsky, cinematographer Matthew Libatique, or stars Russell Crowe and Emma Watson, according to her Twitter.  God could not be reached for comment.  Noah opens on March 14, 2014.

We’ve seen a number of images from the set of director Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical epic Noah thus far, giving us peeks at Russell Crowe as the titular hero and Logan Lerman in his period garb, but we’ve yet to see the film’s antagonist, Ray Winstone.  That changes today, as the first images of Winstone’s character have landed online.  We don’t know much about the role other than it’s that of Noah’s nemesis, but Winstone’s sporting some fairly bloody wounds so it appears that he gets into a skirmish of sorts at some point in the film.  Liam Neeson and Liev Schreiber were reportedly considered for the role early on, but I think Winstone will make for a suitable baddie opposite Crowe.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Douglas Booth, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Durand, Martin Csokas and Mark Margolis.  Noah opens March 28, 2014. [Update: More set images have surfaced of Crowe, Booth, and Lerman and are included after the jump]

How does one dress for a mass exodus onto a giant wooden ark that will be surrounded by rising flood waters for an indefinite period of time?  Why, with homemade t-shirts, head wraps and fashionable boots!  At least that’s what the cast of Darren Aronofsky’s Noah was wearing in these recent set photos.  The images show off Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson in costume on their way to/from set, along with titular star Russell Crowe short-sleeved and bearded.  If you haven’t seen it yet, check out an image of the finished ark here; drafty!

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film stars also stars Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Durand, Martin Csokas and Mark Margolis.  Noah opens March 28, 2014.

We had previously seen an image of an under-construction ark from Darren Aronofsky‘s Noah, but now we can see what the completed structure looks like.  The photo was taken at Oyster Bay’s Planting Fields Arboretum by Dan Wagner for New York Magazine.  As you may notice, it’s not boat-like, but that makes sense.  The ark wasn’t built to go anywhere; it was built to withstand the deluge.  Additionally, Wagner says “The set decorator brought in tree stumps that weren’t there before, to give the effect that the ark was made with local lumber. And there’s no way Noah and his sons could have built such an enormous structure themselves. That would have taken 500 years.”  In all fairness, what else did they have to do with their time?

Hit the jump to check out the image.  The film stars Russell Crowe, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Durand, Martin Csokas, and Mark Margolis.  Noah opens March 28, 2014.

Director Darren Aronofsky is currently in the middle of production on his Biblical epic Noah, and a tantalizing look at one of the film’s more noteworthy sets has landed online.  We’ve already seen an official image of Russell Crowe as the titular figure as well as some set photos of Logan Lerman and other cast members in character, but arguably the most exciting image we’ve seen thus far came from Aronofsky himself.  He shared a look at the construction of a seriously enormous ark that will be used in the film, and now Noah’s cinematographer Matthew Libatique has provided a peek inside the reptile-filled finished ship.  Hit the jump for more.

We’re already pretty aware that director Darren Aronofsky’s incredibly ambitious epic Noah won’t exactly be a run-of-the-mill period piece, but some new set photos have surfaced that drive that point home.  Russell Crowe stars as the titular figure who hears the voice of God warning him that the world cannot be allowed to survive in its current, corrupted form, and an impending flood looms closer.  To give you an idea of the strangeness of Noah, the story includes 11-foot-tall fallen angels with six arms and no wings called Watchers.

We’ve already seen the first official image of Crowe in character, but today some set photos have gone online that give us a peek at some of the film’s costumes.  We also get a look at Aronofsky on set, the film’s title treatment, and Logan Lerman and Madison Davenport in character.  Lerman plays one of Noah’s sons, Ham, while Davenport plays Ham’s wife.  The cast also includes Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, and Anthony Hopkins.  Hit the jump to check out the images.  Noah opens on March 28th, 2014.

The first official image from Darren Aronofsky‘s Noah has gone online.  The biblical epic stars Russell Crowe as the eponymous flood-avoider, and the impressive cast also includes Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Durand Martin Csokas, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Arnar Dan, and Mark Margolis.  Aronofsky previously tweeted a picture of the arc under construction, and this first image from the film doesn’t hold any major surprises.  However, while the hair, make-up, and the costume are what you’d expect for the character, it would be a mistake to think that Aronofsky has a run-of-the-mill biblical epic in store.  Aronofsky takes big chances, and that’s why he’s one of the best directors working today.

Hit the jump to check out the full image.  Noah opens on March 28, 2014. [Update: We've updated the article with the full high-resolution image.]

A bit of casting news to sum up for you today.  Here are the particulars:

• Heather Graham played a memorable character in The Hangover but was absent in the follow-up. Todd Phillips’ The Hangover Part III will see her return, alongside Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Ken Jeong.
• Alan Ritchson (Smallville) is set to play a returning tribute in Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, opposite Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.
• Dawn Olivieri (House of Lies) will join Catherine Hardwicke’s erotic thriller, Plush, along with Emily Browning and Cam Gigandet.
• Mark Margolis (Breaking Bad) has been cast in director Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic, Noah, which stars Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Hit the jump for more on each picture.

Director Darren Aronofsky has cast the Biblical brothers Cain and Abel in his epic feature, Noah.  Little known Icelandic actors Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Arnar Dan will star as the sons of Adam and Eve.  Better known is the story of Cain and Abel, with the former being the first human born and the latter being the first human murdered (by his own brother no less).  The duo appears well before Noah (Russell Crowe) is even born, but flashbacks with a younger Noah (Dakota Goyo) may feature the brothers, as suggested by The Playlist.  Also starring Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Durand and Martin Csokas, Noah debuts on March 28th, 2014.

Two pieces of casting tonight:

• Gwyneth Paltrow is in negotiations to star the adaptation of the foodie memoir Blood, Bones & Butter.
• Marton Csokas has joined the cast of Darren Aronofsky‘s Noah and will star in the DirecTV series Rogue.

Hit the jump for details on each project.

What is Noah without his ark?  A guy who drowns, that’s who.  Writer-director Darren Aronofsky has tweeted a set photo of the fabled ark from his upcoming biblical epic, Noah.  In his tweet, Aronofsky says “I dreamt about this since I was 13. And now it’s a reality. Genesis 6:14″  And for those that don’t know their bible (you’re going to Hell if you don’t, BTW), Genesis 6:14 is “So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.”  No word yet if this is actual cypress wood.  We also don’t know if Aronofsky is building his arc to the biblical specification of “300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high,” but the thing is definitely massive.

Hit the jump to check out the image and a recap about what we know about the movie thus far.  Noah is slated to open on March 28, 2014.

Though it will have been a long four years since his last film once the Biblical epic is released, director Darren Aronofsky’s Noah is shaping up to be well worth the wait.  Russell Crowe is onboard to play the titular protagonist in Aronofsky’s close adaptation of the Noah’s Ark story from the Bible, as Noah is given a divine mission of building an ark to save creation from the impending flood.  Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Douglas Booth round out an already impressive cast, and now Aronofsky has announced (via his Twitter) that the incredibly talented Sir Anthony Hopkins has signed on to star as Methuselah.  Hit the jump for more.

Early reports have it that Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream) is in talks to star as Noah’s wife Naamah, in Black Swan-director Darren Aronofsky’s Noah.  Connelly would star opposite Russell Crowe (Gladiator) in the title role with Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) as the film’s antagonist.  We’re previously reported that Connelly and Julianne Moore were under consideration for the role, but the developing story has the former in the lead.  Crowe and Connelly formerly starred as husband and wife in Ron Howard’s 2001 drama, A Beautiful Mind. Connelly, of course, previously worked with Aronofsky in 2000′s dark drama, Requiem for a Dream. Hit the jump for more on Noah.

We recently reported that Liev Schreiber was in the mix for the antagonistic role in director Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic, Noah, but it looks like Ray Winstone (The Departed) may have usurped him.  Recent reports suggest that Winstone is in talks to play the villain opposite Russell Crowe’s titular character.  Previously speculated suitors to the role of antagonist have been Liam Neeson, Val Kilmer, and the aforementioned Schreiber, but Aronofsky reportedly wanted someone with the “grit and size” to go up against Crowe.  Winstone has it in spades.  Hit the jump for a recap of what else we know about the project, including recent cast additions and the frontrunners for roles as of yet unfilled.