If Ridley Scott’s upcoming Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings is meant to be a serious, dramatic venture, why can’t I stop sniggering at the new set of posters for it that just hit the web? Maybe it has something to do with the PhotoShop job done on stars Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton, surely one of the shoddiest since that god-awful Magic in the Moonlight poster with Colin Firth’s weird wandering eye.
That unfortunate shortcoming aside, fans of Biblical epics have reason to be excited for Exodus: Gods and Kings, which is sure to be the most crowd-pleasing in the genre this year (sorry, Noah). Bale stars as Moses, while Edgerton is donning some serious guy-liner to take on the part of Rhamses.
A new trailer is set to arrive later today, so we’ll have a better idea of what to expect from Exodus: Gods and Kings soon enough. As for now, the supporting cast is odd, if promising. Aaron Paul, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro and Sigourney Weaver rank among the other main players, and Luther actress Indira Varma also has a major role.
Exodus: Gods and Kings tells the well-known story of Moses’ hand in leading the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt and away from their lives as Egyptian slaves. Even if you’re not familiar with the actual Bible sections that recount the story, The Prince of Egypt previously used animation to depict it, garnering praise and even an Oscar (Best Original Song for “When You Believe”).
With the cast he has at his disposal, Scott is surely gunning for awards attention for Exodus: Gods and Kings, but will Oscar bite? It could end up like Scott’s Gladiator, dominating the awards circuit, but I think a fate closer to his Kingdom of Heaven, which decidedly did not, seems more likely.
The film opens in theaters on December 5th.
