If you’re a fan of religious epics, your prayers were just answered: Paramount is reportedly developing a remake of The Ten Commandments (1956).
OK, so maybe you weren’t exactly praying for that, but this is pretty big news nonetheless. The original (the movie, not the book) is to its genre what The Godfather is mobster movies or what Star Wars is to sci-fi films.
Starring Charlton Heston as Moses, it tells the story of The Exodus, during which the bearded prophet led the Jewish people out of Egypt, freeing them from the tyrannical rule of the Pharaoh (identified as Ramses in the movie). Filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai, and the Sinai Peninsula, it was — at the time — the most expensive film in Hollywood history. Still, lugging cast, crew, and equipment halfway around the world was worth it in the end, as the movie became Director Cecil B. DeMille’s Magnum opus and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
While there are certainly fans that think “Thou shalt not remake classic films” should be somewhere on one of those stone tablets, reboots, remakes, and reimaginings continue to rule the day in Hollywood.
The film’s producers are reportedly looking for a writer/director combo capable of offering a new take on the familiar tale, but the rumor mill has been pretty quiet and we’re not yet sure who they might be targeting.
With the underwhelming Exodus: Gods and Kings fresh on many moviegoers minds, it will be interesting to see how the studio plans to approach this retelling of the Old Testament tale and if it can avoid some of the pitfalls that have ensnared similar productions. It will also be interesting to see who will be parting the sea as Moses.
We’ll be bringing you more details as they become available, so stay tuned for updates.
