Action-Packed 'Noah' Trailer Reveals Glimpses of Hollywood's Take on the Great Flood -- But Will It Stay True to the Bible?

The first trailer for director Darren Aronofsky's long-awaited film "Noah" has been released, promising a take of epic Hollywood proportions on the famous Bible story.

For those familiar with the events told in Genesis, the film's official description will come as no surprise: "After visions of an apocalyptic deluge, Noah, the world's only righteous man, is chosen to undertake a divine mission to build a massive ark to save his family and all of creation before the impending rains fall and the waters of doom rise."

Credit: Paramount Pictures

As TheBlaze reported last year, "Noah" stars Academy Award winner Russell Crowe as the title character, Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly as his wife Naameh, as well as fellow Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins and "Harry Potter" actress Emma Watson.

The trailer shows animals of all stripes flocking to the giant ark before the waters rain down.

"A great flood is coming. We build a vessel to survive the storm. We build an ark," Crowe's character proclaims.

Tackling any biblical subject generally means controversy won't be far behind, and "Noah" has been no exception.

The Hollywood Reporter last month said Paramount Pictures and Aronofsky had been going back and forth, debating audience test results. Screenings with Jewish, Christian and general audiences reportedly yielded some troubling results, though it was unclear exactly what turned off viewers.

Sources told the Hollywood Reporter that the debate had to do with not alienating Christian audiences; some have said Aronofsky planned to make Noah look like an environmentalist (he once described the Bible character as "the first environmentalist"). Either way, Paramount reportedly suggested some changes that the director was resistant to.

It's not yet know what will happen during the final cut or who -- the studio or Aronofsky -- will get the definitive call on the movie's ending.

At the heart of the matter is this question: Will Aronofsky and Paramount remain true to the biblical text, or will they deviate for entertainment's sake? That decision could impact how faith-based audiences react.

"Noah" will dock in theaters on March 28, 2014.

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Featured image via Paramount Pictures

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