In June it was reported that Christian Bale was Darren Aronofsky's number one choice to play the titular character in his biblical epic Noah and there wasn't a single person that hated the idea. Though the only connection between the actor and the director was the fact that Aronofsky served as a producer on The Fighter (he was originally attached to helm, but dropped it to do Black Swan), but the pairing just made perfect sense. Sadly, however, it was apparently not meant to be.

Deadline has learned that due to the actor's commitments to two upcoming Terrence Malick films, Christian Bale has been forced to bow out of Darren Aronofsky's Noah. Despite the filmmaker's want, it should be noted that Bale was never actually officially attached to star in the movie. Instead of the ark story, the Oscar winner will be working with Malick on Lawless and Knight Of Cups, which are scheduled to be made back-to-back. It was reported last month that Noah will be backed by Paramount and New Regency and will be based on a script by John Logan, who rewrote the first drafts by Aronofsky and Ari Handel. Production is scheduled to begin next spring.

Obviously the big question now is who Aronofsky will go after next. His last two films - The Wrestler and Black Swan - both earned their lead actors Oscar nominations, the latter winning Natalie Portman acting's highest honor. All of a sudden this may be one of the most sought after roles in the industry. So who do you want to see star in Noah now. It's kind of an obvious choice, but I think the director might want to give Michael Fassbender some consideration.

QUICK UPDATE: It looks like my suggestion may have been right on the money. Variety is reporting that the filmmaker is now interested in Michael Fassbender for the lead role (though no offer has been made just yet).