Crowe urges Pope to see ‘Noah’

CEBU, Philippines - Russell Crowe is eager to get the Pope onboard his ark.

As Paramount ramps up promotion for Darren Aronofsky’s $100 million retelling of the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, a big part of the strategy has been courting the elusive — but potentially lucrative — religious audience.

Aronofsky has been hosting a gallery in New York City featuring different artistic interpretations of the apocryphal tale, while the studio has pushed back against whispers that it’s not loyal enough to the Bible.

Getting the thumbs up from Pope Francis would be the ultimate blessing for the film, which stars Crowe as the ark-building hero. Crowe went to Twitter to try and get the ball rolling, while the marketing team put up a big billboard for the film in Rome.

In one of his tweets, Crowe wrote, “Dear Holy Father, would you like to see Darren Aronofsky’s film ‘Noah’? I am sure you would find it interesting. The message of the film is powerful, fascinating and resonant.” (FREEMAN)