To be honest, now that Charlton Heston has passed, it always surprises me when people decide to take on biblical movies. Not that Heston even starred in so many biblical movies–in fact the only one I can think of is The Ten Commandments–but he seemed to be of the era that made these incredibly over-the-top, heavily-themed epics, as further evidenced by his lead roles in Julius Caesar and Ben-Hur.

These types of movies, in this case those of the biblical variety, just seem to scream of an era that has long past. And it is for that very reason that I am both surprised and semi-perplexed when learning information about the next Bible-fable-turned-hopeful-visual-masterpiece Noah. Oh you know Noah, of Noah and the Ark. Yep, that Noah. And what makes this movie even more eyebrow raising is that it is being made by none other than dark, brooding, East Village frequenter (gauged by my personal interactions) Darren Aronofsky. Yep, that’s right again. The man behind Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and most recently Black Swan, is telling the story of how one man built an ark to save himself and, oh that’s right, all of civilization. This seems very different from the overlooked tales of city life he normally takes on. Huh. Well. This should be interesting.

But now something else has been added to the mix: the film’s cinematographer, Matty Libatique posted a picture (above) of one scene and we are getting a look at what Aronofsky’s Noah is going to look like. And oh man, it’s confusing for me to say this, but it looks so cool! I mean, take a good look at that picture. I don’t mean to point out the obvious, but I spy a gator!

And given that Noah is filled to the brim with stars such as Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, and Emma Watson, this movie seems to be more appealing by the minute. Throw in an anachronistic soundtrack a la Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and you’ve got me sold.

So will Aronofsky actually do this? Will he make a Bible story that the present day masses will actually want (and more importantly go) to see? Well, I suppose if anyone could, it’s Aronofsky. It’s just too bad Heston won’t be playing the title role.