If you’re unfamiliar with the obscure source material and wondering what this Noah movie is all about, here’s the elevator pitch that sold it to Hollywood: “It’s the story of this regular guy who wakes up one day with the urge to build an enormous wooden zoo-box because the world is about to end, and he loves animals. Then the world ends — whoosh! It’s a flood! No, it can’t be a giant meteor! Think The Perfect Storm, but with cooler hair, and a boat full of super hot zookeepers! — and his filthy coffin full of zebras floats around for 40 days. Then the water goes away, he lets all the animals out, and the world is saved. I’m thinking Leo for the lead. We’ll get him out on the road saying this was the original global-warming story.”

The rest, as they say, is history: Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky walked out of that room triumphant, ran up a $125 million–plus tab bringing his ambitious vision to fruition, and clashed with the studio over the final cut of that vision. (No idea why they didn’t get Leo; Russell Crowe came onboard when he impressed Aronofsky with the tale of how God told him He’d flood the Earth if he didn’t start a band, so he really connected with the script.) But judging from this first trailer, the end product turned out suitably epic: beautiful visions of Old Testament–quality apocalypse, teeming hordes of computer-generated beasts flocking to salvation, obligatory period doomsayer Anthony Hopkins saying his doom. And water. All the water a nine-figure budget can buy.

Oh, and the promise of a sequel! “Is this the end of everything?” “The beginning.” If enough Bible fans turn out on opening weekend in March of next year, a franchise will be born. Imagine the size of the flood in that one, when God tells our hero He’s threatening to flood the entire universe this time. Biblical Avengers assemble.