If the Bible were being made into a movie, who would play the characters? Paul Asay has a piece on Beliefnet’s current homepage which poses some possibilities.
Who would De Niro play? How ’bout Denzel? Adam Sandler? Glenn Close? How ’bout Keisha Castle-Hughes, Richard Dreyfuss, Shia LaBeouf, and Jeremy Irons? Who would play Joseph? Or Abraham? Or Lot’s wife? Asay puts his choices forward and it poses a fun discussion.
Biblical literacy is a lost art in our generation–perhaps this is a way to bring it back! Guessing at which actor might embody a biblical character forces a fun reflection on who the characters actually were! Who knows, a few folks might even pick up a bible and reason some passages. Ah, that’d be great. Some of his picks:

Brad Pitt as Adam: “Handsome enough to be People’s ‘sexiest man alive’ twice.” I don’t know if Adam was handsome, but I sure know a lot of ladies who’d have loved to have been Eve in this pairing! Also, if Adam’s the guy, perhaps making “Burn After Reading” was the first sin.
Natalie Portman as Eve: “We were tempted to stunt-cast Brangelina for creation’s first couple, but…Jolie is a is a little too sultry to have been hatched this early so early in creation.” So, congrats Natalie on being un-sultry enough! I’d have picked Kate Winslet–she’s usually naked and unashamed already.
Kiefer Sutherland as Cain: “Cain doesn’t think himself all that bad a guy, just misunderstood.” Either way, Sutherland has moved to more redemptive roles later in his career so he doesn’t past. I’d go with John Malkovich.
Owen Wilson as Abel: for his “affable slacker persona.” That works, though Abel wasn’t nearly as funny.
Danny Glover as Noah: “Noah was 600 years old” so this is a “tricky one to cast.” Glover is “spry enough to build the boat, patient enough to herd a gazillion animals” and “good-hearted enough to win God’s favor.” Well, due respect, it was Noah’s faithfulness and purity, not nice-guy-ness, that got him the job. Does anyone in Hollywood qualify?!
Perhaps we’ll do this again post-Genesis. For now, though, I commend his piece and invite you to post your comments below!