This December, Ridley Scott will make a bid for Oscar with his Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, which stars Christian Bale as Moses, who rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton) in order to lead Israelite slaves out of bondage. Now, thanks to Entertainment Weekly’s fall preview issue, we’ve got two new images from the film, which highlight Bale (above) and Sigourney Weaver (below) in full Egyptian garb.
Weaver plays Tuya, the mother of Edgerton’s Ramses, whom costume designer Janty Yates told EW she wanted to have a certain “va-va voom” quality, almost like Jessica Rabbit. A little strange, perhaps, for a Biblical epic, but maybe the stylized nature of the costuming will wind up enhancing the film. As the guyliner-heavy posters showed us, Scott isn’t exactly gunning for gritty realism with this movie.
Bale spoke with EW about portraying Moses:
“He’s one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever studied. All of his trials, his troubled life and his doubts, his rages and his extremes.” The actor laughs at how Moses—who spoke to God, fought violent battles, parted seas, and struggled to free the enslaved Israelites no matter the cost might fare in the modern era. “Can you imagine if he was alive today? He’d probably be on trial in the Hague.”
What are your thoughts about Exodus: Gods and Kings thus far? Will this Biblical epic be an Oscar heavyweight like Scott’s Gladiator, or an awards non-starter like Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven? Let us know below, and check out the official synopsis for the film. It opens December 5th.
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Prometheus) comes the epic adventure “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” the story of one man’s daring courage to take on the might of an empire. Using state-of-the-art visual effects and 3D immersion, Scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses (Christian Bale) as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton), setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
