God returns to thousands of movie screens this weekend in the form of Morgan Freeman — smooth, elegantly white-suited, a bit of a wry joker — in “Evan Almighty,” a sequel to “Bruce Almighty.” This time he tells Steve Carell to build an ark.
The filmmakers now are considering whether they can carry on the franchise with a new star each time as God’s chosen one.
“Really, the common thread is Morgan Freeman as God. It’s a different set of lessons learned each time,” Carell said. “I would presume if there is a third one, I would not be called upon again, unless of course, Evan was hit in the head and forgot every lesson he learned.”
For a supposedly monotheistic culture, we sure have a lot of Gods in our entertainment. Here’s a look at some of them.
The tip-your-waitress God
The best-known movie God is probably George Burns, who played the deity in a trilogy (or trinity) of “Oh, God!” movies starting in 1977. Burns’ God, no surprise, talked like an elderly Jewish comedian, saying things like “The last miracle I did was the ’69 Mets.” Bah-dum-bum.
The annoyed God
In “Spamalot,” the stage musical version of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” God (voiced by John Cleese), orders King Arthur (left) to go find the grail. “Can’t we just buy one?” asks a knight. “Just find it, OK?” snaps God. “And get on with it. These people don’t have all night.”
The diverse God
The TV series “Joan of Arcadia” probably set a record for most faces of God. In a very updated version of Joan of Arc, a typical teen girl, played by Amber Tamblyn (right), encountered God regularly and was given instructions and tasks to do. God took a wide variety of forms, including a three-card monte hustler, a skateboarder, a homeless man, a high school janitor and a weird little girl on the playground.
The stunt-casting God
More Top Picks Best Shower Systems For Bathrooms
In Kevin Smith’s organized religion spoof “Dogma,” pop singer Alanis Morissette (left) plays God. She has superpowers, of course, but singing isn’t one of them.
The five-fingered God
God has appeared several times on “The Simpsons” as an old man with a beard in a robe. Most of the show’s cartoon characters have four fingers. When God has appeared, he has five — a nod to the perfection of the Almighty.
The super-mellow God
In “SNL” spin-off movie “Superstar,” (left) Will Ferrell plays Mary Katherine Gallagher’s (Molly Shannon) idea of God, a visual cross between Jesus, her dad and high school heartthrob Sky Corrigan.