The Premiere 2007 Preview
Evan Almighty
Starring: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, and John Goodman
Directed by: Tom Shadyac
(Universal Pictures, June 22)
And on the sixth day, God created . . . spin-offs? In this follow-up to 2003's Bruce Almighty, which starred Jim Carrey, Carell takes the lead as Evan Baxter, formerly Bruce's tongue-tied newscaster nemesis and now a congressman dealing with divine intervention. Freeman returns in the role of God, who commands Evan to build an ark in preparation for a massive flood. "The first scene we did, he was sitting on a stack of lumber in a white shirt and white pants — silhouetted against a dark, cloudy day. He just has a presence about him," says Carell, who donned several Noah-like beards throughout the shoot. "Morgan Freeman, as far as I'm concerned, is God." As for Graham, who plays Baxter's wife, she and her three onscreen sons were equally taken with some of the animals on the ark. "I think we got closest to Toothy the alpaca," says the actress. "He had a terrible underbite. He was our best friend."

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