Anthony Hopkins To Play Methuselah in Noah Epic
Image by Getty Images
Yes, but will he eat the animals?
Actor Anthony Hopkins, whose signature roles include the face-chewing “Silence of the Lambs” cannibal Hannibal Lecter, has signed on to play Methuselah in “Noah,” an upcoming big-budget bible epic from brainy Jewish director Darren Aronofsky.
As the Times of Israel noted this week, “Hopkins, 74, is 895 years younger than the character he’ll play.” Hopkins hasn’t commented, but Aronofsky waxed rhapsodic on Twitter. “i’m honored to be working with the great sir anthony hopkins. we just added him to the stellar cast of #Noah.” Aronofsky wasn’t awed enough to honor Sir Anthony with capital letters, however.
Paramount will release the film in 2014, according to WeAreMovieGeeks.com, which noted that the film’s cast includes Russell Crowe in the ark-building title role, along with thesps Jennifer Connelly, “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson and Ray Winstone.
Aronofsky, whose credits include last year’s Black Swan, also posted a photo from the Noah set on Twitter. “I dreamt about this since I was 13. And now it’s a reality. Genesis 6:14 #noah”, Aronofsky revealed.
For a director whose debut — 1998’s brainy sci-fi thriller “Pi” — cost $60,000, “Noah” represents a massive undertaking. “I’d like to thank Paramount and Regency for backing my team’s work to breathe new life into the biblical epic. 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,” Aronofsky said in a (non-Tweeted) statement.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
