Emma Watson Boards Darren Aronofskys Biblical Epic Noah

Posted on Friday, June 8th, 2012 by

During the tail end of the Harry Potter series, we began to wonder what would happen to the young leads once the last movie wrapped. Hollywood, after all, is full of one-time kid stars who were never able to replicate their early success, or worse, who fall off the rails altogether. But so far, it seems like we have nothing to worry about from that cast.

Emma Watson in particular seems to be transitioning out of Hogwarts with ease. Her first post-Potter job was a supporting part in My Week with Marilyn, and over the next couple of years well also see her in the YA adaptation The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Sofia Coppolas The Bling Ring. But her newest role sounds like it could be the most intriguing yet. Watson has entered talks to board Darron Aronofskys biblical passion project Noah, joining Russell Crowe, Douglas Booth, and her Wallflower co-star Logan Lerman. More details after the jump.

Deadline has learned that Watson is negotiating for Ila, a young woman who develops a close relationship with Noahs son, Shem. To recap, Crowe has been atta! ched to play the most famous ship-maker in the history of the universe for a few months, while Booth and Lerman signed on to play Noahs sons Shem and Ham earlier this week.

Among the characters that have yet to be cast are those of Noahs wife and his nemesis. Jennifer Connelly and Liam Neeson have been rumored for those roles for some time now, but Connelly has yet to be confirmed and Neeson is no longer in the running.

I think were all pretty familiar with the basics of the story by now, but in case you need a refresher, heres the synopsis:

NOAH is a close adaptation of the Biblical story of Noahs Ark. In a world ravaged by human sin, Noah is given a divine mission: to build an Ark to save creation from the coming flood. The screenplay was written by Aronofsky and Ari Handel and revised by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Logan (GLADIATOR, HUGO).

Because Aronofsky is who he is, though, he says his Noah will be a dark, complicated character in other words, not the simple religious figure you may have learned about in Sunday school as a kid. Shooting on Noah is scheduled to begin next month in Iceland and New York, with an opening set forMarch 28, 2014.