Michael B. Jordan has reportedly landed the lead role in Methuselah, a film based on the Biblical character who lived to be 969 years old.
The film will be the next from director Danny Boyle, but Jordan wasn’t the first choice for the role. According to Variety, Tom Cruise was originally attached to the project, which Warner Bros. is hoping to turn into a franchise. However, the studio has been looking to keep Jordan in-house following the success of the Creed films, and apparently the Biblical epic fit the bill.
While the character is mostly noted for his advanced age in the Christian Bible, Methuselah does appear in other religious texts where he has an especially close connection to God, which results in him being a key figure shortly before the Great Flood that cleansed the earth. In fact, Anthony Hopkins portrayed the extremely aged character in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah. As for which texts Boyle’s film will pull from is unknown, but 969 years should provide a whole lot of material for a franchise.
The role is an interesting choice for Jordan given recent rumors that he might be replacing Henry Cavill as Superman in the DC Cinematic Universe. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is now working exclusively with Warner Bros., and the word is that his production company is working on a new film for the Man of Steel that could potentially star the Black Panther actor.
In the meantime, Jordan will be blasting into theaters this October in the adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse. The film is yet another franchise for Jordan as he takes on the role of CIA agent John Clark who’s a regular staple in Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels. Unlike Ryan, who uses his skills as analyst, Clark is the guy you send in when things need to be done quickly and brutally.
(Via Variety)