Noah is one of the most spectacularly
visual of the Bible’s stories and it’s got to be one of the most widely-known.
So it makes sense that Paramount picked the story of the great big boat to make
a film out of – but it’s a shrewder move still to use it to set up the Bible Cinematic Universe.
That’s
right. Stick around until the end of Noah’s
credits and there’s a brief clip that sets up a sequel, which will go on to
form a solid bedrock for Paramount to build up a massively ambitious cinematic
franchise that could run for years, based on stories that have been told many
times and are familiar to many.
But
don’t worry, they will also be introducing lesser-known characters to pad out
the Bible Cinematic Universe’s roster, as Paramount may only be sticking to the
Old Testament. (The character of Jesus is subject to some rights issues with
Mel Gibson, though William Wallace is up for grabs for any keen filmmakers.)
I’ve
been leaked a secret look at Paramount’s growing plans for the BCU, which I
will now share with you all. The studio is keen to follow the exploits of
Noah’s family after the end of the film, but have yet to get Darren Aronofsky’s
permission, so they’re working their way through the rest:
BABEL
(2016)
Expect this tale of
mankind’s arrogance in building a skyscraper to touch the heavens to invoke
lots of 9/11 imagery under the direction of Oliver Stone. My sources say that a
brief rewrite from Ronald D Moore has slipped a phrase or two of Klingon into a
climactic scene as the world descends into multi-lingual chaos.
SODOM & GOMORRAH
(late 2016)
Michael Bay is on board to direct this curious film: it begins with Abraham (Matt Damon) searching for righteous people – and finding “the most pornographic scenes filmed for American cinema”. Meanwhile, a group of angels do undercover work to find similarly righteous souls. It culminates in a blistering orgy of destruction, for which Bay is estimating a cost approaching $200m.JOSEPH
(2017)
Wes Anderson was a natural choice for a family with a strained father-son relationship, with Bill Murray all but confirmed for the role of Jacob. Jeff Goldblum is sure to star as the Pharaoh with prophetic dreams. Because it’s part of a sprawling live-action franchise, Paramount vetoed Anderson’s suggestion that he return to his Fantastic Mr Fox animation methods for the Biblical tale.MOSES: PART 1
(2017)
A return to the big, well-known Bible stories sees the story of Moses split into two. This half will see Daniel Radcliffe as Moses from birth up until the plagues of Egypt begin. Bay is a possibility to direct, but Paramount are said to prefer somebody who can handle the scope of the story, with some execs asking for Spielberg.ANGELS OF LEVITICUS
(TV, beginning September 2017)
Each week a team of bland angelic heroes will go around corners of the Bible Cinematic Universe looking for people who are breaking a different rule of Leviticus. The “man shall not lie with a man...” episode is sure to draw a huge audience, but can it sustain through the duller patches like planting two different crops in the same field?GOLIATH
(late 2017)
This script takes a brave direction in making the traditional villain of the piece, Goliath (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson), into our hero – up against the devious, scheming David (Martin Freeman).MOSES: PART 2
(2018)
Should Spielberg agree to the first he’ll certainly be asked back to helm the next chapter of Moses’s life – which acts a direct prequel to Agents of Leviticus, with a post-credits scene where Moses begins to write that Biblical book. Spielberg should be able to secure the mega-budget needed to show the parting of the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and, of course, concluding the Egyptian plagues.FIRST BORN
(Bible One-Shot)
Vince Gilligan has apparently already written the story of a normal Egyptian family who struggle with the decision of whether they should paint their door with lamb’s blood – or risk losing their first-born son. Bryan Cranston has already agreed to star, with a set-up cameo in Moses: Part 2.JONAH
(2018)
Not a final title by any
means, but a likely one given the precedent set by the simple title of Noah. Paramount have yet to wade in to
the battle of whether Jonah (possibly Jonah Hill, who insists his interest is
not to do with the name) is swallowed by a big fish or a whale – and they have
called in David Attenborough to talk over possibilities. Some executives are
keen to avoid using a whale, in case audiences think they’ve mistreated it (“Blackfish crowd will be all over this”
reads one scrawled Post-It note on an early draft).
