It’s never all-too encouraging when news of this sort comes down the wire — but, if nothing else, this should mean a bad script is getting whipped right into shape. Variety reports that Warner Bros. have turned to Arash Amel — their scribe on the I Am Legend follow-up that will never happen — for a complete and total rewrite of Methuselah, the fantasy epic that James Watkins (The Woman in Black) is expected to direct for producer David Heyman (Harry Potter).

Those with a passing knowledge of Biblical storytelling probably know that Methuselah, at its core, follows an ancient man — stories say he died somewhere in the 960s — but it also breaks from typical interpretations, depicting him as the resourceful sort who used all that time “to develop an unparalleled set of survival skills.” What he’s surviving against should be an interesting revelation.

Since this somewhat coincides with the story of Noah and his Ark, maybe a crossover with Darren Aronofsky‘s own Bible actioner is in store? No, probably not; I doubt studios are that influenced by The Avengers. But a proper reworking of the script, whatever this may entail, should make way for a clever, entertaining spin on a tale far less common than the Great Flood.

Does Methuselah have the right stuff to be a compelling work?