Ridley Scott is doing everything he can to stay unpredictable in his seventies. His last few films have included an Alien sorta-prequel, a Robin Hood remake, a CIA thriller, and a batshit-crazy Cormac McCarthy project. Now it’s time for a biblical epic that’ll either be awards-bait-y (it hits December 12) or the second coming of Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, which met lukewarm reviews and a disappointing box office back in March.

Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings stars Christian Bale looking to bury Charlton Heston’s legacy and Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty, The Great Gatsby) as Rhamses/Ramses/Rameses/Ramesses. Also featured in this Egypt-set tale: Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Paul, and John Turturro. Maybe Scott & Co. can repurpose the same casting explanation Aronofsky’s team used? (“What we realized is that this story is functioning at the level of myth, and as a mythical story, the race of the individuals doesn’t matter. They’re supposed to be stand-ins for all people.” OK.)

The Exodus screenplay comes from Oscar-winning writer Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List, Moneyball, Gangs of New York). Empire reports that Scott “opted for old-school scale on this one, constructing massive sets.” As long as they didn’t make an actual horse fight an actual tsunami.

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