This is one of those “heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy” stories, so take it with a grain of salt, but it has to do with Darren Aronofsky’s reportedly epic follow up to his Oscar-winning Black Swan, so we’re intrigued, to say the very least.

That would be Noah, a Biblical drama built around the iconic Ark builder that is scheduled to begin filming in the Spring. Aronofsky transitioned to this massive picture after bowing out of the next Wolverine movie, and though he has yet to cast his lead (Michael Fassbender was rumored), the key creative people working behind the scenes are beginning to talk about the ongoing process.

That’s where Hollywood Elsewhere operator Jeff Wells fits in. On his recent podcast Oscar Poker with Awards Daily’s Sasha Stone, Wells relays a story of a conversation he had with Aronofsky’s cinematographer Matthew Libatique, who revealed that shooting would begin in July in New York and Iceland, and that they’re targeting a possible Fall 2013 release date.

Here’s where things get really interesting. Wells reveals that the script brings in a villain for Noah, someone who, according to the blogger, keeps saying to the people around Noah, “‘Listen, don't listen to him. We're fine! We don't need to build any ark. Don't be so alarmist! Don't be so fundamentalist.' You know? One of those guys.”

That doesn’t sound like a villain so much as someone who vocally opposes Noah’s ambitious plans to save two of every animal in case the skies open up. Aronofsky’s not the kind of director who’s going to stage a physical conflict between an antagonist and Noah as he tries to launch his ark at the last minute. This isn’t Michael Bay’s Noah.

So, do with this what you will. It sounds like instead of one major male role, Aronofsky might be looking at two. Could one of them be Fassbender? Could The Fountain star Hugh Jackman come over one Les Miserables wraps? Or will Aronofsky find a new actor who he can coach to an Oscar nomination (and possibly a win)? Stay tuned.