For a guy with so many plague-bringings, sea-splittings, and commandment-receivings to his name, Moses hasn’t really had the big screen representation you might think he deserves. One could surmise that Cecil B. DeMille’s Charlton Heston classic The Ten Commandments sort of laid claim to all Moses glory. Since, only a small number of Moses films have come to be, including the animated The Prince of Egypt and, if you want to count it, Mel Brooks‘ comedy History of the World Part I. In fact, the most memorable example might very well be a TV incarnation. Perhaps all other would-be attempters feared the risk of living in the shadow of ABC’s Passover staple. But Moses will be reattempted by one man who I think we’re all sure can handle the story appropriately: Steven Spielberg. Negotiations have attached the legendary auteur to the developing Gods and Kings, a chronicle of Moses’ life and story, for some time. At this point, the deal is nearly finalized. We should be expecting a Spielberg Moses movie in the works in the near future.
Reportedly, the film will take a grittier, less “glamorous” perspective of the story than The Ten Commandments did. Deadline compares the new vision to the likes of Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, or the classic warrior movie Braveheart.
It will certainly be interesting to see Spielberg handle such a spiritual story with this level of realism. The story of Moses leading the Jews out of the tyranny of Egypt and into the Promised Land is one of the Tanakh’s most significant tales. Obviously, the notion of “reimagining” Moses in a warrior light will come along with some controversy. Whereas some will find it easy to conform to this vision, others will undoubtedly take issue with Spielberg’s design of the project. But stepping away from the religious significance of the story and thinking purely as a lover of film, there is almost no doubt that Spielberg will handle Gods and Kings will terrific flavor.
Source: Deadline
