I love it when disappointing news is followed immediately by sensational news. I was one of many who was totally behind the choice of Christian Bale to play the titular Biblical hero in Darren Aronofsky’s developing film Noah. First of all, anytime the man sports a beard, techtonic plates shift. Secondly, I was super pumped to see him use his gravely Batman voice to try and soothe frantic animal passengers during a seafaring apocalypse. So yes, it’s a bit saddening to hear that Bale has passed on the role. But there’s someone else in consideration for the Noah lead now. Someone who melds whimsy with gravity, charm with bile, relatability with superhumanity: Michael Fassbender. Dare I say, perhaps the greatest Noah that anyone could ever imagine?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves (we did that with Bale, and look where it got us). Fassbender has not officially been offered the role. He has, however, made mention of the fact that he and director Aronofsky (whose Black Swan is still having aftershocks on my psyche) have discussed the possibility of him taking on Noah. And that’s good enough in which to at least invest some optimism.
And with this as a potential, Fassbender proves once again that he is unstoppable. This year alone, he has thrived in the worlds of Marvel Comics (X-Men: First Class), literary adaptations (Jane Eyre), human psychology and historical biopics (A Dangerous Method is a twofer), and promises nothing short of glory in Shame, the upcoming exploration of the turmoils of sex addiction.
It’s hard to say why Bale would pass on this doubtlessly sensational project. But our ruminating days are over. We’ve moved on. Sure, we grieved the loss of Bale for about a paragraph, but we’re on the Fassbender train now. Or should I say…the Fassbender ark?
No. I probably shouldn’t.
Source: Variety
