Yeah, looks like it. Amidst today’s news that the author of The Ice Man, the chilling profile of prolific hit man Richard Kuklinski, has axed a film adaptation over the production team’s choice of star, bland b-boy hunk (or is it punk?) Channing Tatum (a true WTF if there ever was one),  these new snaps of Paul Bettany’s  upcoming turn as Chuck Darwin (he who had the gall to ask) in the upcoming Creation serve as reminder of how not often we’re treated to thoughtful lead casting anymore, as opposed to squarepegroundholeism. And picking the right actor is so crucial for biopics. Remember Bettany’s buoying supporting performance as Russell Crowe’s naturalist friend / foil Stephen Maturin in Peter Weir’s Master and Commander a primer, and it’s immediately apparent that Bettany has just the right temperament and mix of difficulty and soul to fill these very tall shoes. I’m sure the studio wanted one of the Gossip Girl guys, so how this accident got past everyone, who knows. But we’re happy it did.

I suspect Bettany is wearing prosthetics in addition to make-up for this, because he’s darn near unrecognizable. As for the casting of his wife Jennifer Connelly as his, uh, wife Emma Darwin, I’m not so sure. Not because of Connelly, still a talented presence, but because the choice of a real-life husband / wife often curiously results in a limp pairing. We’ll see, but the photos make for an appealing tease.

Images courtesy of Empire Online.

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