First image of Russell Crowe as Noah

Russell Crowe as ark-builder Noah sounded like pretty spot-on casting, and the first image from Darren Aronofsky's epic seems to support that.

Sporting a tangled mane and thick beard, Crowe looks every inch the Noah you'd imagine when reading the Bible story. Well, maybe a little more badass, but you get the idea.

The project has been a labour of love for Aronofsky, and will mark a change of pace for the director after The Wrestler and Black Swan . That said, besides the aforementioned performers-on-the-edge companion pieces, Aronofsky's always favoured variety in his work, so we'd never try to second-guess his next move.

Crowe's balancing an impressive slate of work right now, and is soon to be seen in The Man With The Iron Fists , Broken City , Les Misérables and Man Of Steel .

Noah , which co-stars Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins, opens in the US on 28 March 2014.

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