Steven Spielberg's Moses Movie? Director Nearing Deal For 'Gods And Kings'

Steven Spielberg may have been snubbed by the Academy Awards this week for Best Director, but that isn't stopping him from climbing back up the mountain. According to Deadline, the two-time Oscar winner is closing in on a deal with Warner Bros. to direct "Gods And Kings," which is described as a "'Braveheart'-ish version of the Moses story" mixed with the "gritty reality" of "Saving Private Ryan."

Warner Bros. has been courting Spielberg for the project since last September, and now it appears they are close to nabbing him. That in itself is an accomplishment: the notoriously busy Spielberg always has a full dance card, but will have time for "Gods And Kings" next spring. The director just finished "Lincoln" and will soon start on "Robopocalypse"; "Gods And Kings" would hope to begin lensing in March or April 2013.

"Kings" is just one of many projects focusing on B.C. figures: Darren Aronofsky is working on his Noah's Ark film, while Mel Gibson has been planning his own biblical-times epic about Judah Maccabee. That film would also set up at Warner Bros., should it ever get off the ground.

What this means for "Indiana Jones 5" remains to be seen, but if Spielberg does sign on for "Gods And Kings," it would likely push any further Indy adventure into 2014 at the earliest.

[via Deadline]

Comments

[rsttho557949]

12:24 PM on 01/29/2012

I am a fan of Spielberg but making a movie about Moses will be a flop. In the great scheme of tings, Moses did not save mankind and really couldn't save himself. If they need any idea of how the movie might be received, a few years back the animated Prince of Egypt didn't leave a lasting memory on the public. Really, what could he add ( except great special effects) to the story of Moses that will arrest their attention? What is sad is that many Jews are doubting that Moses even existed or that the crossing of the Red Sea was really a swampy area known as the Reed Sea. One poster said it best, I'd rather see some movie about Sodom and Gomorrah or the evens leading up to the Great Flood but not Moses.

[Mr Charlie]

07:12 PM on 02/01/2012

It was a poor translation of Hebrew to English that led to the belief that it was the Red Sea. Yam Suf (the Hebrew name) means "Reed Sea."

[Neil20]

09:40 AM on 01/29/2012

I would like an American studio, perhaps Sony, to think of a remake of The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah. The original 1962 film starred Stewart Granger and Stephen Boyd. It was a great action film (not unlike the Ten Commandments). The best scenes were the torture scenes where Tamar the slave girl is shown getting tortured. Granger played Lot and Anita Ekberg played his wife who was turned to stone. I wish copies of this movie are available in DVD. Of course, a competent director like Speilberg would have handled the project well but then as per your story above he is very busy. Martin Scorcese could handle this project well if Sony or Paramount agrees. It's time Hollywood began to bring out re-makes of Biblical films. Ben Hur, Quo Vadis, The Gladiator could also be re-made and we could sing 'Happy (movie) Days are here again'

[Richard Fumasoli]

12:20 AM on 01/29/2012

I hear Lindsey Lohan is set to play the Burning Bush with her firecrotch.

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

03:21 AM on 01/28/2012

I would love to see this, IF it was done exactly as the book of Exodus tells the story.

I want to see Moses murder a man and run off into the desert to avoid arrest.

I want to see Yahweh trying to kill Moses and being driven off by having a bloody foreskin thrown at him by the wife of Moses.

I want to see two million Hebrews (600,000 men and the 1,400,000 women and children) fleeing in terror from 5000 Egyptians.

I want to see the Hebrews borrowing all the nice clothes and jewelry from their neighbors and then running off into the desert and refusing to give them back.

I want to see a man and woman getting stabbed thru the body with a spear for making out near the entrance to the tabernacle.

I want to see slaughters of thousands of people for disagreeing with Moses.

I want to see Miriam and Aaron stricken with leprosy for making rude remarks about the African wife Moses married.

Unfortunately, i expect this will be another sanitized PG 13 version with none of the grotesque details of the actual story included.

[Jeannette Lacey]

07:38 PM on 01/27/2012

Maybe I'm imagining this - but didn't Spielberg make a gawd-awful musical cartoon version of this story in the 90's???? Why do we need yet another Moses flick???? How about something more in keeping with the genre Spielberg is known for: Salome Meets The Moth Monster From Space. That'll probably have more entertainment value.

[Debra Martinez]

01:42 PM on 01/27/2012

If he want to teach something. He can start by learning the truth from the Hebrew bible and greek and not by others bibles that put Lord and King . God has a name and Jesus had a name way before .... So I would like him to do some reach and get in the truth and make a Decumentary so the World can get to know the truth about The Holy God Of Isreal and Why Moses and Aaron were sent to face Pharoh!!

[GhostOfFDR]

01:46 AM on 01/28/2012

I hope he covers the massacre of the Midianites in all its gory details. I want to see the bodies of babies and pregnant women. Aren't we all tired of the edited Bible movies? It's time for the NC-17 versions, so everyone can what their religion is all about,

[Debra Martinez]

06:22 AM on 01/30/2012

No that not for me! We already have enough on TV/News Coverage, ect!!

[PWM]

12:03 PM on 01/27/2012

In this one Moses uses a light saber and defeats an army from space using a star destroyer. And Moses will be dressed the same as Dart Vader but in white and instead of talking like he has an oxygen tank on, he will talk with the voice of John Wayne.

[Jeannette Lacey]

07:29 PM on 01/27/2012

I think you've got your directors mixed up, PWM. In this flick, Moses' finger lights up and then he leads the children of Israel onto a space ship.

[sunshine14]

10:51 AM on 01/27/2012

Will Moses have blonde hair blue eyes, or look European?

[JayMonaco]

09:23 AM on 01/27/2012

I thought some of the other movies that were described above sounded weird, but please, no more sequels! Indiana Jones is done, man. It was done like twenty years ago.

Twenty. Years ago.

[Macready]

08:17 AM on 01/27/2012

don't do it Steven . . . Moses didn't exist . . .

[JayMonaco]

09:23 AM on 01/27/2012

I'm pretty sure Steven believes that he did, though.

[Macready]

11:07 AM on 01/27/2012

suspect you are right Jay . . . it sounds like a dud to me . . .

[PWM]

12:06 PM on 01/27/2012

The one thing we can be certain on is that it will not be historical in any sense.

[peterbeagle]

02:58 PM on 01/27/2012

neither did Indiana Jones – but the films are very entertaining!

[Jeannette Lacey]

07:30 PM on 01/27/2012

Yes, Peterbeagle, but people haven't based a religion on Indy - at least not yet.

[PWM]

07:38 AM on 01/27/2012

I wonder if he will include Moses commanding the cold blooded killing of women and children.

[Macready]

08:16 AM on 01/27/2012

great question

[Debra Martinez]

01:30 PM on 01/27/2012

Moses didn't kill anyone Jehovah God did!! so read what was written!! They went against God like today and the fell upon thier own sword not Moses rod!!

[Jeannette Lacey]

07:31 PM on 01/27/2012

Um...I don't think the military slaughter of Midianites and the peoples of Cannan can be properly described as "falling on one's own sword".

[GhostOfFDR]

01:57 AM on 01/28/2012

Yeah, Moses was a real saint. So long as you don't mind your saints killing women including pregnant women, and babies. And saying it's OK to rape any virgin girls you happen to come across.

Nimbers 31:15-18 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? ... Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

[lingum]

07:16 AM on 01/27/2012

A more militant Moses would be in-line with militaristic Israel

[TAIsabel]

07:58 AM on 01/27/2012

It is all related lingum, all related. More than we even imagine.

[DeuxExMachina]

06:19 AM on 01/27/2012

Being there, done that, i.e. The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston.

[PWM]

12:07 PM on 01/27/2012

Yes, but not the Ten Commandments with C3P0

[Jeannette Lacey]

07:34 PM on 01/27/2012

Aww...come on! Just think! When Moses is cast out of Egypt and forced to walk in the desert and collapses from thirst and heat stroke, the Jawas can rescue him!

[ProudToBeVeryLiberal]

05:04 AM on 01/27/2012

I didn't think it was possible for me to have an even lower opinion of Spielberg...

[TAIsabel]

08:00 AM on 01/27/2012

Thank you! His movies are simply insuferable! I refuse to watch any of his crappy work. He is the height of mediocrity.

[Macready]

08:18 AM on 01/27/2012

I have been moving in that direction for a while now TAIsabel . . this would be a real mess

[BurtonDesque]

04:10 AM on 01/27/2012

Spielberg is going to make a movie about the fictionalized account of Ahmose kicking the Hyksos out of Egypt and back to Canaan?

Can't be any worse than what he did to pretty up WW1.