A Secular Noah? Aronofsky To Make "Noah" Epic

Today it was reported that Darren Aronofsky finally got 150 million dollars to make an epic movie about the biblical story of the flood and the life of Noah. The artwork he released some time ago for a graphic novel is very striking. Here's a trailer he made for the comic.



His own take on the story may not  be filled with the themes found in the Bible. In one interview he states:

“It’s the end of the world and it’s the second most famous ship after the Titanic. So I’m not sure why any studio won’t want to make it,” said Aronofsky. “I think it’s really timely because it’s about environmental apocalypse which is the biggest theme, for me, right now for what’s going on on this planet. So I think it’s got these big, big themes that connect with us. Noah was the first environmentalist. He’s a really interesting character. Hopefully they’ll let me make it"

And it shouldn't entirely surprise us, Aronofsky is an atheist. He's also very involved in environmental charity work. Of course, that doesn't stop him from touching on spiritual issues in movies like "The Fountain". However, it is a secular spirituality that according to him is based on

 "We’re all just borrowing this matter and energy for a little bit, while we’re here, until it goes back into everything else, and that connects us all. The cynics out there laugh at this crap, but it’s true....To me, that’s where the spirituality is. Whatever you want to call that connection -- some people would use that term God. That, to me, is what I think is holy."

Should we worry? Well he says that it "[i]sn't a very religious story". Of course a quick look at the Biblical text shows that this isn't so. He can anachronistically read  environmental ruin into the story, but that ruin came about because of God. Its human sin that brings about God's wrath. But his grace towards Noah is what ultimately saves mankind. Sin, mercy, and redemption, are all biblical themes that can make for great story telling. But a post-modern  twist to the story leaves us only with a Noah who has only himself to survive. It tells us that mankind hasn't really learned anything (if we're still facing the same problems Noah did) and doesn't give us much reason to hope.  But if we live in an endless cycle of matter and energy that eventually goes back to everything else, why should anyone care? But if one day we have a God who once destroyed humanity, and promises to do it again, then caring for his creation makes much more sense.