Now that Darren Aronofsky has picked a Noah's Ark epic as his "go to hell, I can do whatever I want" follow-up to Black Swan, it's time to start making sure someone will actually pay for the movie, budgeted at $130 million. And the most surefire way to get investor interest, as always, is to bring in a movie star. While Aronofsky's old buddy Hugh Jackman is still busy waiting for The Wolverine to get its act together, Vulture reports that he's eyeing someone nearly as famous, in talks with Christian Bale to play Noah. They point out that the Biblical hero was 600 years old when the great flood hit, while Bale is only 37, but you know they do amazing things with makeup these days.

Though Noah is set up at New Regency, which is owned by Fox, they're looking to other studios to help shoulder the cost, because you don't invest $130 million in anything these days that doesn't involve superheroes or something cooked up by James Cameron. And Bale, a newly minted Oscar winner and the reigning Batman, isn't exactly the world's most bankable star, but he comes pretty close, and is a skilled enough actor to presumably do some really interesting work with Aronofsky. I'd be interested to see him out there battling the seas and the animals, especially with Aronofsky giving his own unique spin to the Biblical story. Are you guys ready to see Bale strap on the big gray beard once he's done with the Batman cowl?