Paramount Pictures and New Regency Productions announced today that Russell Crowe will take on the eponymous role of Noah in Darren Aronofsky's next film.
Noah, an adaptation of the biblical story, delves into the drama of a man on a divine mission to build an ark to save humanity.
In a statement, Aronfosky expressed a great degree of excitement at the prospect of working with Crowe: "I rejoice that Russell Crowe will be by my side on this adventure. It's his immense talent that helps me to sleep at night. I look forward to being wowed by him every day."
The film will begin shooting in July in Iceland and New York and is scheduled for release in March 2014.
Crowe replaces Christian Bale, who pulled out of Noah due to a busy schedule.
In an epic of somewhat different proportions, Guy Pearce will play the role of geneticist Adlrich Killian in Marvel and Disney Studio's Iron Man 3, to be directed by Lethal Weapon writer Shane Black.
The plot of Iron Man 3 will pick out elements from Warren Ellis's six-issue Iron Man: Extremis comic books, also integral to the original Iron Man film, which earned $585 million worldwide. The sequel went on to earn $624 million.
Production on Iron Man 3 begins in May, with a scheduled release of May 2013.